The condition in which individuals with normal pure tone audiograms complain of 
hearing difficulties, especially in the presence of background noise, (normal 
pure tone audiograms), has had a number of different names. The present term 
King-Kopetzky Syndrome was coined by Hinchcliffe in 1992. This is a common 
condition reported in 5 - 10% of those attending clinics complaining of hearing 
problems. A dominant genetic aetiology has been found in a proportion of cases. 
It may be associated with minor peripheral or central auditory dysfunction, and 
frequently the individuals exhibit anxious or depressive personalities. We found 
no relationship with noise exposure in a series of patients compared with 
matched controls. Here we review the evidence for and against such an influence 
and present fresh data in an attempt to define the role of noise, if any, in the 
causation of this condition. Our final conclusion is that there is no clear 
association between KKS and noise exposure