RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Tinnitus and mobile phone use JF Occupational and Environmental Medicine JO Occup Environ Med FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd SP 804 OP 808 DO 10.1136/oem.2009.048116 VO 67 IS 12 A1 Hutter, Hans-Peter A1 Moshammer, Hanns A1 Wallner, Peter A1 Cartellieri, Monika A1 Denk-Linnert, Doris-Maria A1 Katzinger, Michaela A1 Ehrenberger, Klaus A1 Kundi, Michael YR 2010 UL http://oem.bmj.com/content/67/12/804.abstract AB Objectives The mechanisms that produce tinnitus are not fully understood. While tinnitus can be associated with diseases and disorders of the ear, retrocochlear diseases and vascular pathologies, there are few known risk factors for tinnitus apart from these conditions. There is anecdotal evidence of an link between mobile phone use and tinnitus, but so far there have been no systematic investigations into this possible association.Methods 100 consecutive patients presenting with tinnitus were enrolled in an individually matched case–control study. For each case a control subject was randomly selected from visiting outpatients matched for sex and age. The patient's history was obtained and clinical examinations were conducted to exclude patients with known underlying causes of tinnitus. Mobile phone use was assessed based on the Interphone Study protocol. ORs were computed by conditional logistic regression with years of education and living in an urban area as covariates.Results Mobile phone use up to the index date (onset of tinnitus) on the same side as the tinnitus did not have significantly elevated ORs for regular use and intensity or for cumulative hours of use. The risk estimate was significantly elevated for prolonged use (≥4 years) of a mobile phone (OR 1.95; CI 1.00 to 3.80).Conclusions Mobile phone use should be included in future investigations as a potential risk factor for developing tinnitus.