Cork Tinnitus Support Group

It is a source of encouragement to those of us with tinnitus to know that a great deal of research into the condition is going on around the world. Most research is reported from the United States, from Britain and from European countries such as Germany and Sweden. Some of the research explores how tinnitus is actually generated; some looks at the effects of certain drugs on the noise. Research also considers how people deal with the noises, and which factors make that coping easier or more difficult. There have been studies on how tinnitus affects people’s concentration, how families react to the tinnitus sufferer, and how the internet can be used to provide some forms of therapy.

However the overall aim of the research is to find a cure for tinnitus. The most hopeful line of research in that regard seeks a drug that will silence the noise. So far, no wonder drug has been found that will do that without having serious side-effects. Yet, clinical trials are reported from time to time in medical and scientific journals. New hope has also come with the development of stem-cell research, and new possibilities are emerging each year. The more optimistic believe that an anti-tinnitus drug will be developed in five to seven years. Progress so far is slow, so that prediction may be optimistic. For those interested in the details of research into tinnitus, QUIET, the quarterly publication of the British Tinnitus Association, provides updates on recent research from around the world.