The efficacy of acoustic therapy versus oral medication for chronic tinnitus: A meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: To compare the efficacy of acoustic therapy (AT) and drug therapy (DT) for chronic tinnitus.

METHODS

We searched Pubmed, ScienceDirect, Chinese Journal Full-text Database (CNKI), Wanfang Database, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM), Embase, and Cochrane Library from the establishment of the database to December 2019. Meta-analysis was performed on the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) score and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) with included literature using Revman 5.3 software.

RESULTS

A total of 18 documents were included, including 16 Chinese documents and 2 English documents, with 1774 patients (including 962 patients treated with AT and 812 patients treated with DT). The effect of AT (by the number of cases or ears) is better than that of DT (P < 0.05). After treatment, the THI value of AT was more evident than that of DT (WMD = -4.25, (-13.24, -5.29)). And the VAS value of AT was significantly lower than that of DT (WMD = -0.73, (-1.31, -0.15)).

CONCLUSION

Compared with DT, AT can significantly improve the efficacy of tinnitus and reduce the symptoms of tinnitus patients. Clinically, it can vigorously promote the application value of treating tinnitus by sound.