Tinnitus risk to mobile phones users may spark need for healthcare plan

Regular mobile phone users may find they require a healthcare plan in the future due to an increased risk of suffering from tinnitus.

Researchers from the University of Vienna in Austria have found a link between prolonged exposure to mobile phones and the chances of developing the condition, which causes a noise in the ear such as a ringing or hissing sound.

The team studied a group of 100 tinnitus sufferers and analysed their use of mobile phones.

It was found that those who used their mobiles for an average of ten minutes a day were more than 70 per cent more likely to have the condition.

Furthermore, participants who used a mobile phone on the same ear for four years or more were almost twice as likely to develop tinnitus.

Lead researcher Dr Hans-Peter Hutter said: "Tinnitus strongly interferes with the daily lives of people. There are very few interventions available that effectively reduce tinnitus loudness and annoyance.

"Therefore, all measures should be taken to avoid any further increase in tinnitus prevalence."

Permanent tinnitus affects around ten per cent of the population and in one per cent of adults it is severe enough to impact on quality of life.

The study was published in the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

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