Hyperacusis: Insights from the First International Conference

Compared to tinnitus, hyperacusis is even less understood. To encourage greater understanding, an international hyperacusis conference was held earlier this year. Let's hope the conferences continue and lead to more research interest. If anything is worse than tinnitus, it must be hyperacusis and tinnitus.

Noise Health. 2014 Mar-Apr;16(69):123-6. doi: 10.4103/1463-1741.132100.
Insights from the First International Conference on Hyperacusis: causes, evaluation, diagnosis and treatment.
Aazh H1, McFerran D, Salvi R, Prasher D, Jastreboff M, Jastreboff P.
Author information

Abstract
The First International Conference on Hyperacusis gathered over 100 scientists and health care professionals in London, UK. Key conclusions from the conference included: (1) Hyperacusis is characterized by reduced tolerance of sound that has perceptual, psychological and social dimensions; (2) there is a growing awareness that children as well as adults experience symptoms of hyperacusis or misophonia; (3) the exact mechanisms that give rise to hyperacusis are not clear, but the available evidence suggests that functional changes within the central nervous system are important and in particular, hyperacusis may be related to increased gain in the central auditory pathways and to increased anxiety or emotional response to sound; (4) various counseling and sound therapy approaches seem beneficial in the management of hyperacusis, but the evidence base for these remains poor.

For the text article, click here.

Reference: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24804717

 

We as a society need a greater understanding of the auditory systems in our body. That much has become clear to I'm sure everyone on this board.

Thanks for passing this information along jazz

 

And the understanding of t is pretty much nonexistent, dang..
Great to see something happening on the field

 

(bold and italics mine)

Wonderful that not even the "experts" understand it.

I have T and H. Yes it is hell on earth.

 

Hello, I am totally new to the forum. I was very recently diagnosed with Hyperacusis and Tinnitus after many months of feeling that I was going mad!!!! I was referred to the Audiology department as " I wasn't coping with it" last week to be told that it was brought on by stress, it was NOT a medical condition and there was nothing physically wrong with me after a Specialist looked into my ears ???? I have fortunately found and joined this Forum as a form of self help and understanding. Please advise me is this for real, that it its because of stress and that I can control it??? Please also tell me how after all these months of suffering??? Many thanks Y

 

I, as well as many other people, first suffer from T+H during withdrawal from those filthy f..king psychic drugs (Xanax, AD, tranquilizers). Maybe they should take a look, maybe the drug-induced T+H could shed some light on the mechanism of generation/maintenance of T and H

 

benzos withdrawal can do severe H also exposure to loud sounds.
From my experiece H can be cured if you avoid for long time any sound not only
loud but and silent sounds.
Also it will go away after very long time stopping benzos.
Benzos withdrawal is H.

 

So you don't go outside? And at home there are silent sounds?
Plugging your ears all day will make it worse.

 

Yvonne my heart goes out to you, after testing and seeing experts they told me the same.

I agree and am hoping this is what happens to me. You've given me hope.

Did you experience an onset of tinnitus and hypercusia after starting Zoloft ir Lorazapam?