Incidence of Self-Reported Bothersome Tinnitus Versus Tinnitus Diagnosis Among U.S. Army Soldiers

The rate of tinnitus diagnosis in the medical record is vastly lower than the prevalence of bothersome tinnitus recorded in the annual surveillance system. Steps should be taken to screen, refer, and diagnose tinnitus more consistently. Based on the outcome of the study analysis, we recommend that screening for bothersome tinnitus more closely follows procedure recommendations from the Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense (VA/DOD) Tinnitus Working Group, which may reduce the rate at which Soldiers report bothersome tinnitus.