Improvement of Tinnitus After Oral Zinc on Patients With Noise-induced Hearing Loss

Chang Gung Medical Foundation

Status: Completed

Conditions: Hearing Loss, Noise-Induced; Zinc Deficiency; Tinnitus, Noise Induced

Treatments: Drug: zinc gluconate

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT02951715

102-3893A3

Details and patient eligibility

About

Twenty patients with tinnitus and a typical noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) audiogram were included. Each subject underwent an otoscopic examination, distortion product otoacoustic emissions, tinnitus-match testing, Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) and serum zinc level analyses. After 2 months of treatment with zinc, all tests were repeated.

Full description

This study enrolled patients who visited our out-patient department with the primary complaint of tinnitus. A full medical history assessment was performed, and each patient underwent an otoscopic examination, a basic audiologic evaluation. We selected the patients whose audiogram data met the inclusion criteria for NIHL: 1) bilateral typical NIHL audiogram and type A tympanogram; 2) hearing threshold above 4 kilohertz (kHz) was greater than 25 dB hearing level (HL); 3) audiogram showed the characteristic 4 kHz or 6 kHz notch (average hearing threshold was 10 dB HL higher than the baseline); 4) up-turn phenomenon appeared above 6 kHz or 8 kHz, and 5) symmetrical hearing loss threshold over bilateral ears and the disparity was less than 10 dB HL. Patients with other otologic diseases were excluded.

A full medical history assessment was performed, and each patient completed the NIHL questionnaire (Supplementary S1), audiogram, tympanogram, speech discrimination test, distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAE) testing, pitch and loudness match of the tinnitus, Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) and serum zinc level analyses. All tests were repeated after 2 months of treatment with zinc gluconate (Zinga 78 mg, 10 mg elemental zinc), two tablets twice per day (40 mg per day).

Enrollment: 20 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 20 to 80 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• 1. bilateral typical NIHL audiogram and type A tympanogram; 2) hearing threshold above 4k Hz was greater than 25 dB HL; 3) audiogram showed the characteristic 4 kHz or 6 kHz notch (average hearing threshold was 10 dB HL higher than the baseline); 4) up-turn phenomenon appeared above 6 kHz or 8 kHz, and 5) symmetrical hearing loss threshold over bilateral ears and the disparity was less than 10 dB HL. Patients with other otologic diseases were excluded.

Exclusion criteria

• Patients with pregnancy, psychologic diseases and other otologic diseases were excluded.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: N/A

Interventional model: Single Group Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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20 participants in 1 patient group

Zinc

Experimental group

Description:

A full medical history assessment was performed, and each patient completed the NIHL questionnaire (Supplementary S1), audiogram, tympanogram, speech discrimination test, distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAE) testing, pitch and loudness match of the tinnitus, Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) and serum zinc level analyses. All tests were repeated after 2 months of treatment with zinc gluconate (Zinga 78 mg, 10 mg elemental zinc), two tablets twice per day (40 mg per day).

Treatment:

Drug: zinc gluconate