Effectiveness of acupuncture therapy as treatment for tinnitus: a randomized controlled trial / Efetividade da terapia por acupuntura como tratamento para o zumbido: ensaio clínico aleatorizado

ABSTRACT 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.

Resumo Introdução: O zumbido é a sensação subjetiva de ouvir um som na ausência de um estímulo externo e piora significativamente a qualidade de vida de 15%-25% das pessoas afetadas. Objetivo: Verificar a efetividade da terapia por acupuntura em indivíduos com zumbido. Método: Ensaio clínico aleatorizado com 50 participantes com zumbido, divididos em dois grupos: 25 participantes no Grupo da Acupuntura (GA) e 25 participantes do Grupo de Controle (GC). O GA recebeu tratamento com a craniopuntura chinês e o GC não recebeu nenhum tratamento. Após o período de 5 semanas, eles foram chamados para realizar a avaliação final e o GC recebeu tratamento de acupuntura por questões éticas de pesquisa. Resultados: Foi encontrado resultado estatisticamente significativo para o desfecho primário, reduzindo a intensidade do zumbido, com p = 0,0001 e o desfecho secundário, apresentando melhora na qualidade de vida, com p = 0,0001. Conclusão: A craniopuntura chinesa associada à eletroacupuntura bilateral nos mostrou no curto prazo, uma melhora estatisticamente significativa, reduzindo o nível de intensidade do zumbido, bem como melhorando a qualidade de vida dos indivíduos com zumbido.

Is There a Possible Association between Dietary Habits and Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo in the Elderly? The Importance of Diet and Counseling

Introduction Poor diet habits and inadequate intake of nutrients are a concern in the elderly. Nutritional education with guidance may improve the results of the treatment of vertigo. Objective Evaluate the presence of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) associated with feeding habits. Methods Cross-sectional study with elderly people living independently.We evaluated nutritional habits through themethod of dietary 24-hour recall andmanipulation of Dix-Hallpike. Results Based on a sample of 487 individuals, 117 had BPPV. Among the 117 elderly patients with BPPV, 37 (31.62%) had inadequate feeding. From those 370 individuals without BPPV, 97 (26.21%) had inappropriate feeding. No significant association between nutritional habits and BPPV in the total population was observed (p = 0.3064). However, there was significant relation between BPPV and inadequate carbohydrate intake (p = 0.0419) and insufficient fiber intake (p = 0.03), and the diet of these subjects was rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids (p = 0.0084). Conclusion These data correlate with the dyslipidemia and hypertriglyceridemia status, making it extremely important to reduce the intake of fats and carbohydrates and increase the fiber intake to stabilize triglycerides and thus minimize harmful effects on the inner ear. Food readjustment is suggested in patients with BPPV, along with the work of a multidisciplinary team to improve the quality of the elderly.(AU)