Efficacy of Different Clinical Assessment Measures of Hyperacusis: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Hyperacusis refers to hypersensitivity to auditory stimulus which otherwise has no effect on individuals with hearing sensitivity within normal limits. Hyperacusis prevalence has been found to range from 9 to 15% in the general population. There is no consensus definition on identifying hyperacusis among other decreased sound tolerance disorders. This leads to higher variations in the prevalence of hyperacusis, further affecting the assessment and treatment. This study aims to determine the efficacy of the different clinical assessment measures of Hyperacusis in assessing hyperacusis through a systematic review. This review reports the summary and of the current evidence of clinical assessment measures used for diagnosing hyperacusis. A review of 23 articles was conducted in order to highlight these measures used. Most of the selected studies included retrospective, prospective, survey and experimental in design. Study quality reported overall low risk of bias. Subjective and objective measure in relation to hyperacusis was assessed. This review highlights a definition and protocol that may be used in clinical diagnosis of hyperacusis. It also shows the necessity to standardise and validate assessment measures for the younger population.