Effectiveness of acupuncture therapy as treatment for tinnitus: a randomized controlled trial

Introduction: Tinnitus is a subjective sensation of hearing a sound in the absence of an external stimulus, which significantly worsens the quality of life in 15-25% of affected individuals. Objective: To assess the effectiveness of acupuncture therapy for tinnitus. Methods: Randomized clinical trial (REBEC: 2T9T7Q) with 50 participants with tinnitus, divided into two groups: 25 participants in the acupuncture group and 25 participants in the control group. The acupuncture group received acupuncture treatment and the control group received no treatment. After a period of 5 weeks, they were called to perform the final evaluation and the control group received acupuncture treatment for ethical reasons. Results: A statistically significant result was found for the primary outcome, reducing the intensity of tinnitus, with p=0.0001 and the secondary endpoint, showing improvement in quality of life, with p=0.0001. Conclusion: Chinese scalp acupuncture associated with bilateral electroacupuncture demonstrated, in the short term, a statistically significant improvement by reducing the level of tinnitus intensity, as well as improving the quality of life of individuals with tinnitus. (C) 2016 Associacao Brasileira de Otorrinolaringologia e Cirurgia Cervico-Facial. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda.