Effect of acupuncture on tinnitus severity index in the elderly with non-pulsating tinnitus

Abstract

Introduction Idiopathic subjective non-pulsating tinnitus (ISNPT) is a frustrating diagnosis to physicians owing to the limited effectiveness of traditional pharmacological approaches. This study aimed to investigate the effect of acupuncture on quality of life in elderly people with ISNPT. Methods Overall, 40 patients of both sexes with ISNPT lasting for > 3 consecutive months and aged 65 years participated in this study. They were assigned into the study and the control groups, 20 patients each. The study group received the prescribed medications in addition to manual acupuncture on the following acupoints: SJ 3, SJ 5, SJ 17, SJ 18, SJ 19, SJ 20, SJ 21, SJ 22, GB 2, GB 8, GB 20, LI 4, KI 3, and ST 36, for 30 minutes, 3 times/week for 4 weeks, while the control group received their prescribed medications only. All participants in both groups were assessed with the visual analogue score of tinnitus loudness (VASTL) and tinnitus severity index (TSI). Results No statistically significant changes were reported in VASTL or TSI in the control group, while in the study group, VASTL showed a high statistically significant decrease from 8.27 ± 1.45 to 3.20 ± 1.36 (<i>p</i> < 0.001) and TSI revealed a decrease from 44.30 ± 3.40 to 27.95 ± 4.18 (<i>p</i> < 0.001). Conclusions Acupuncture is a good adjunctive complementary therapy to ISNPT in the elderly.