THOUSANDS of North-East patients who suffer from tinnitus are being let down by the NHS, according to research.

A study by the charity Deafness Research UK suggests that a large number of North-East people suffering from tinnitus are not getting the treatment they need.

The research shows what the charity describes as a disturbing lack of knowledge of the treatments available for this common and distressing condition.

Nearly two-thirds of people in the North-East and Yorkshire who have tried to get help from the NHS for their condition had not received any treatment.

Nearly one in five were not even referred to a consultant by their GP, the charity says.

More than 700,000 people in the region are affected by tinnitus - noises in the head or ear, which can vary in intensity from a low hum to noise levels equivalent to a jet engine.

Many tinnitus sufferers have to endure anxiety, lack of sleep and depression.

The charity found that those GPs who were unwilling to refer their patients also tended to be unsympathetic about their symptoms.

The research findings were announced at the launch of the charity's campaign to educate tinnitus sufferers and doctors about the treatments available.

Recognised treatments for tinnitus are sound generators, which produce a sound to mask the tinnitus and psychological therapies based on retraining the brain to ignore the tinnitus noises.

North-East sufferer Michael McLean, 52, from Forest Hall, North Tyneside, has tried everything, but his condition continues to plague him.

"The noise is unpleasant and it is in both ears. I have ringing in one ear and a whistling, whooshing noise in the other," he said.

A Deafness Research UK information pack is available by calling 0207-679 8970.