These questionnaires measure the degree of psychological distress and handicap associated with tinnitus, including effects on hearing, lifestyle, health and emotional functioning. A broader assessment of general functioning, such as levels of anxiety, depression, stress, life stressors and sleep difficulties, is also important in the assessment of tinnitus due to higher risk of negative well-being across these areas, which may be affected by or exacerbate the tinnitus symptoms for the individual. Overall, current assessment measures are aimed to identify individual levels of distress and interference, coping responses and perceptions of tinnitus to inform treatment and monitor progress. However, wide variability, inconsistencies and lack of consensus regarding assessment methodology are evidenced in the literature, limiting comparison of treatment effectiveness. Developed to guide diagnosis or classify severity, most tinnitus questionnaires have been shown to be treatment-sensitive outcome measures. Pulsatile tinnitus
If the examination reveals a bruit (sound due to turbulent blood flow), imaging studies such as transcranial doppler (TCD) or magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) should be performed. Differential diagnosis
Other potential sources of the sounds normally associated with tinnitus should be ruled out. For instance, two recognized sources of high-pitched sounds might be electromagnetic fields common in modern wiring and various sound signal transmissions. A common and often misdiagnosed condition that mimics tinnitus is radio frequency (RF) hearing, in which subjects have been tested and found to hear high-pitched transmission frequencies that sound similar to tinnitus. Prevention
Prolonged exposure to loud sound or noise levels can lead to tinnitus. Custom made ear plugs or other measures can help with prevention.
About a third of North Americans over 55 experience tinnitus. Tinnitus affects one third of adults at some time in their lives, whereas ten to fifteen percent are disturbed enough to seek medical evaluation. 70 million people in Europe are estimated to have tinnitus. Children
Tinnitus is commonly thought of as a symptom of adulthood, and is often overlooked in children. Children with hearing loss have a high incidence of pediatric tinnitus, even though they do not express the condition or its effect on their lives. Children do not generally report tinnitus spontaneously and their complaints may not be taken seriously. Among those children who do complain of tinnitus, there is an increased likelihood of associated otological or neurological pathology such as migraine, juvenile Menieres disease or chronic suppurative otitis media. Its reported prevalence varies from 12% to 36% in children with normal hearing thresholds and up to 66% in children with a hearing loss and approximately 3–10% of children have been reported to be troubled by tinnitus. See also
References
External links

Tinnitus at Curlie
Baguley, David; Andersson, Gerhard; McFerran, Don; McKenna, Laurence (2013) [2004]. Tinnitus: A Multidisciplinary Approach (2nd ed.). Indianapolis, IN: Wiley-Blackwell. ISBN 978-1-4051-9989-6. LCCN 2012032714. OCLC 712915603. Langguth, B; Hajak, G; Kleinjung, T; Cacace, A; Møller, AR, eds. (2007). Tinnitus: pathophysiology and treatment. Progress in brain research no. 166 (1st ed.). Amsterdam; Boston: Elsevier. ISBN 978-0-444-53167-4. LCCN 2012471552. OCLC 648331153. Retrieved 5 November 2012. Alt URL
Møller, Aage R; Langguth, Berthold; Ridder, Dirk;  et al., eds. (2011). Textbook of Tinnitus. New York: Springer. doi:10.1007/978-1-60761-145-5. ISBN 978-1-60761-144-8.