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Scientific Oral Presentation

Otology/Neurotology

The Relationship Between Migraine and Tinnitus Is Mediated by Severity of Disease and Comorbid Conditions

Tuesday, October 20, 2026
9:21 AM - 9:27 AM PT
Location: West Exhibit Hall A, Learning Zone 1

    Presenting Author(s)

  • YR

    Yueqi Ren, PhD

    Medical Student
    University of California, Irvine, United States

    • Co-Author(s)

  • KB

    Khushi Bhatt, BS

    Medical Student
    University of California, Irvine, United States

  • CC

    Charlotte Chan, BS

    Medical Student
    University of California, Irvine, United States

  • AD

    Abigail I. Dichter, BA

    Medical Student
    University of California, Irvine
    Newport Beach, California, United States

    • Senior Author(s)

  • HD

    Hamid Djalilian, MD

    Professor of Otolaryngology, Director of Neurotology and Skull Base Surgery
    University of California Irvine, United States

  • Mehdi Abouzari, MD, PhD

    Assistant Professor
    University of California, Irvine
    Orange, California, United States

Disclosure(s):
Mehdi Abouzari, MD, PhD:

faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

Introduction: The relationship between migraine and tinnitus has been well established, but questions remain regarding the nature of their association and underlying pathophysiology. Building upon past work, we aim to investigate the association between migraine and tinnitus through analyzing mediators that may shed light onto the nuanced clinical picture and possible common disease processes that underpin these two conditions.

Methods: Data from a tertiary neurotology clinic was collected from 2019 to 2024 from 1271 participants who enrolled into the research study. Participants included 244 with migraine, 730 with tinnitus, and 692 with dizziness. We applied mediation analysis with dizziness and symptom severity of both migraine and tinnitus as three potential mediators to characterize the association.

Results: The direct effect of migraine on tinnitus status was fully mediated by the mediators of severity of migraine (assessed by number of associated symptoms, including nausea, vomiting, photophobia, phonophobia, and fatigue), history of dizziness, and severity of dizziness symptoms as assessed by the Dizziness Handicap Inventory (direct effect: c’ = 0.085, p = 0.0688; full effect: c = 0.144, p < 0.001). Having more severe migraine and experiencing dizziness symptoms were both significant effects associated with having migraine and tinnitus.

Conclusions: These findings indicate that individuals experiencing both migraine and tinnitus are more likely to not only have dizziness but also experience more severe migraine compared to those who do not experience both disorders. Our work suggests that the development of tinnitus may involve similar pathways that are implicated in migraine and dizziness, possibly predisposing individuals to more severe disease states.