Prevalence of Misophonia in Adolescents and Adults Across the Globe: A Systematic Review

Indian J Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2024 Oct;76(5):4614-4622. doi: 10.1007/s12070-024-04946-8. Epub 2024 Aug 1.

Abstract

misophonia is a sound tolerance disorder which disturbs the emotions of people when exposed to specific triggers. Studies have shown that visual triggers alone can cause misophonia in affected individuals in the absence of auditory triggers. It is also said to affect people's quality of lives affecting social life, work life and personal relationships. Different studies on misophonia indicate that it is prevalent between 5% and 34.67%. These studies help us understand the existence of misophonia across different parts of the world. Studies report factors like gender, age, socioeconomic status, etc. play significant roles in impacting the prevalence of disorder. This study aims to review 12 such English articles available online, to get a comprehensive set of data to make it easy for readers and researchers. Results of the review indicate that not many countries have their prevalence rates established which could be indicating the lack of awareness. In countries that have carried out the study, clinically significant misophonia exists in many individuals with various degrees with multiple factors affecting it.

Keywords: Misophonia; Prevalence; Selective sound sensitivity syndrome; Sound tolerance disorder.