Prevalence of musical hallucinations in patients referred for audiometric testing

Item does not contain fulltextOBJECTIVE: : To assess the prevalence of musical hallucinations in patients referred for audiometric testing and to analyze associations with age, sex, degree of hearing loss, asymmetrical hearing loss, and tinnitus. METHODS: : Patients referred for audiometric testing underwent a semi-structured interview on tinnitus and musical hallucinations. RESULTS: : Out of 194 patients, most of whom had mild to moderate hearing loss, seven (3.6%) had musical hallucinations. Significant associations were found with female sex and predominant left-sided hearing impairment, but not with age, severity of hearing loss, or tinnitus. CONCLUSION: : This study offers no evidence that age is a risk factor. Musical hallucinations seem to be prevalent in women with predominant left-sided hearing impairment