The American Tinnitus Association kicks off 2011 with a major milestone – 40 years helping patients with ringing in the ears. This 40 anniversary celebration will be commemorated with special events all year long.

The advances in understanding the neuroscience behind tinnitus are growing by the day, giving real hope of a quiet tomorrow for tinnitus patients everywhere,” said Michael Malusevic, ATA Executive Director. Our hope is to exponentially increase tinnitus awareness across the U.S. and around the world to match the ever-growing need of its inevitable cure, said Malusevic.

Tinnitus has been the number one service connected disability for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans for the past three years. “The increases in veterans claiming disability for tinnitus is astounding,” said Gary P. Reul, Ed.D, Chair of ATA’s board of directors. “Something that people are very shocked to find out is that at the end of 2009, the Department of Veterans Affairs paid out $1.1 billion for disability compensation to veterans for tinnitus alone; at that rate of increase, we will be paying out $2.26 billion annually by 2014 with just a little over $10 million available to fund research toward a tinnitus cure,” continued Reul. “Even after 40 years people don’t understand what a disabling condition tinnitus can be and how many people in the U.S. and worldwide are affected,” he concluded.

50 million Americans experience tinnitus and of those, 16 million have sought medical attention for the ringing in their ears. Currently there is no cure for tinnitus, though there are some management strategies that help some patients live better with their tinnitus. ATA’s own research grant program started in 1980 and since then the organization has contributed millions of dollars in seed grants to tinnitus investigators to help them prove their theories. “What we have learned about tinnitus and the non-auditory structures of the brain that may be involved has really opened up the field to new ideas and research,” said Anthony T. Cacace, Ph.D., Chair of ATA’s Scientific Advisory Committee. He added, “The funds that ATA is able to award directly to tinnitus investigators have greatly assisted in the ground-breaking discoveries related to tinnitus over the past three decades. Without ATA’s contribution, the field may have not advanced as quickly as it has.”

Source: www.ata.org/40.