In this final issue of the year, a study by Butt et al. sought to determine if a history of tinnitus is associated with an increased risk of dementia.Reference Butt, Wieland, Wang, Lin, Wang and Weng1 This follows previous research studying the association between hearing loss and cognitive decline.Reference Lau, Dimitriadis, Mitchell, Martyn-St-James, Hind and Ray2,Reference Loughrey, Kelly, Kelley, Brennan and Lawlor3 A total of 15 686 patients were included in the study. The authors found that a history of tinnitus was associated with a 168% increased risk of being diagnosed with dementia in those aged 50–65 years. However, this association was not significant in those older than 65 years. Thus, like hearing loss, this study lends support to a possible association between the two conditions.
Also in this month's issue is an up-to-date systematic review focusing on adjuvant treatments for recurrent respiratory papillomatosis. The review includes a useful evidence-based algorithm for the management of such cases (Figure 2 within the article).Reference Balai, Dronkers, Al Yaghchi, Gujral, Sandhu and Iacovidou4
It is a commonly held view that frontal pain may be a symptom of chronic frontal sinusitis. A study by Jashek-Ahmed et al. in this month's issue investigated whether there was a relationship between frontal pain and chronic frontal sinusitis, drawing comparisons with radiological and endoscopic findings, quality of life and disease severity.Reference Jashek-Ahmed, Thaj and Eweiss5 The authors found no correlation between facial pain scores and the extent of frontal sinus disease, either radiologically or severity endoscopically. Their conclusions are consistent with those of previous studies demonstrating that functional endoscopic sinus surgery should not be undertaken on the basis of facial pain alone.6
The Senior Editors would like to take this opportunity to thank all those that have contributed to this year's journal, including all the authors, Assistant Editors, our Managing Editor, reviewers, advisers, production staff, our publishing partners at Cambridge University Press and all other colleagues at The Journal. Finally, we wish all of our readers a happy and successful 2025.
