Prevalence of Tinnitus and Associated Factors during Pregnancy: A Cross-Sectional Study Conducted in Saudi Arabia

Ear, nose, and throat manifestations in pregnancy vary. Pregnancy initiates a distinct set of physiologic changes in the female body, many of which manifest as otolaryngology issues. One such common presentation is tinnitus. In this study, we aimed to analyze the prevalence of tinnitus and its associated risk factors in pregnancy .An observational descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at the National Guard Hospital Al-Ahsa; we included 199 participants ranging in age from 19 to 42 years old, between 2021 and 2022. We investigated the prevalence of tinnitus using a questionnaire and analyzed the possible factors associated with tinnitus using simple and multiple logistic regression analysis with complex sampling. : The prevalence of tinnitus in pregnancy was 16.08% among the pregnant women (gestational age: of 35?8.5 weeks) Anemia was reported in 68.75% of the participants with tinnitus p< 0.0001). Tinnitus was not related to coffee intake, stress, or sleep habits (p< 0.05). Most of the participants? tinnitus relief spontaneously without any medical treatment. In conclusion, tinnitus was significantly prevalent among pregnant women, especially in the third trimester. Tinnitus was significantly associated with anemia. Further studies are required to evaluate any causal associations between tinnitus during pregnancy and other factors.