Efficacy of adjuvant Chinese herbal formula treatment for chronic tinnitus: a retrospective observational study.

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical efficacy of using western anti-tinnitus therapy with or without Chai-Hu-Jia-Long-Gu-Mu-Li-Tang (CHJLGMLT) to treat patients with chronic tinnitus.

Methods: A descriptive case series with chart review was established to compare patients with chronic tinnitus who had received CHJLGMLT with western anti-tinnitus therapy (the CHJLGMIT group) with those who received western anti-tinnitus therapy alone (the non-CHJLGMIT group). We included 21 patients, 10 patients in the CHJLGMIT group with CHJLGMLT and 11 patients in the non-CHJLGMIT group. Both groups were comparable in terms of patient demographics and clinical characteristics. The follow-up examinations included the assessment of Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) of 0-10 for tinnitus intensity, pure tone audiometry (PTA), and speech reception threshold (SRT).

Results: After 2 months of treatment, THI and PSQI scores were reduced significantly more in the CHJLGMIT group (p<0.05) than in the non-CHJLGMIT group. Scores on the emotional subscale of the THI were significantly reduced in the CHJLGMIT group (p<0.05) after treatment, but the effects on the seven PSQI subscales did not differ significantly between the two groups (p>0.05). Scores on the VAS for tinnitus loudness were significantly reduced in both groups (p<0.05). No significant differences between the two groups were found on the binaural hearing tests (PTA and SRT).

Conclusions: Our study found that adjuvant CHJLGMLT therapy for chronic tinnitus may exert additional efficacy by improving psychological sensation of tinnitus and sleep quality. Future randomized controlled double-blind studies should be performed to elucidate its efficacy.