A Phenotypic Comparison of Loudness and Pain Hyperacusis: Symptoms, Comorbidity, and Associated Features in a Multinational Patient Registry

Abstract

Purpose Hyperacusis is a complex and poorly understood auditory disorder characterized by decreased tolerance to sound at levels that would not trouble most individuals. Recently, it has been suggested that individuals who experience otalgia in response to everyday sounds (termed pain hyperacusis) may differ clinically from those whose primary symptom is the perception of everyday sounds as excessively loud (termed loudness hyperacusis). Despite this theoretical distinction, there have been no empirical studies directly comparing these two populations of hyperacusis patients. Method Using data from a multinational patient registry (the Coordination of Rare Diseases at Sanford Registry), we examined self-reported demographics, symptoms, comorbidity, and response to treatment in a sample of 243 adults with hyperacusis, 152 of whom were classified as having pain hyperacusis based on reported symptoms. Bayesian statistical tests were used to investigate both the presence and absence of group differences between patients with loudness and pain hyperacusis. Results Individuals with pain hyperacusis presented with a more severe clinical phenotype, reporting a higher frequency of temporary symptom exacerbations (i.e., “setbacks”), less perceived symptom improvement over time, more severe comorbid headache disorders, and reduced benefit from sound therapy. However, the two hypothesized hyperacusis subtypes exhibited more similarities than differences, with the majority of symptoms and comorbidities being equally prevalent across groups. Multiple comorbidities were commonly observed, including tinnitus, primary headache disorders, psychiatric disorders, and functional somatic syndromes. Intolerance of sensory stimuli in other modalities was also frequently reported. Conclusion Although this study provides little evidence that loudness and pain hyperacusis are pathophysiologically distinct conditions, our findings indicate that a pain-predominant phenotype may be a meaningful prognostic marker in patients with hyperacusis.