Summary: In the search for effective treatments for tinnitus, a debilitating condition that affects an estimated 750 million people worldwide, researchers found that low-level laser therapy dwarfs other therapies.
The study demonstrated superior results with laser acupuncture alone and low-power transmeatal laser stimulation. Laser therapies are believed to improve peripheral blood flow, stimulate inner ear cell proliferation, and promote collagen production.
The study findings are critical to developing new treatment protocols for tinnitus in various medical disciplines.
Key facts:
- Often described as ringing or ringing in the ears, tinnitus affects an estimated 750 million people worldwide and currently has no standard FDA-approved treatments.
- Low-level laser therapy, including laser acupuncture and low-power transmeatal laser stimulation, has shown superior results in the treatment of tinnitus.
- The study suggests that laser therapy improves peripheral blood supply and stimulates inner ear cell proliferation and collagen production, which may contribute to its efficacy against tinnitus.
Fountain: FAPESP
Low-level laser therapy and associated photobiomodulation is the most effective of the known treatments for tinnitus, according to a study comparing the main therapies in current use, conducted by Brazilian scientists affiliated with the Center for Research in Optics and Photonics (CEPOF). ).
The study is reported in an article published in the Personalized Medicine Journal.
Some 750 million people suffer from tinnitus worldwide, according to a European study that analyzed five decades of patient data. Often described as ringing or ringing in the ears, it is considered a symptom rather than a disease, but it is unpleasant and in some cases disabling.
The best results were observed in patients treated only with laser acupuncture and only with low-power laser transmeatal stimulation. Credit: Neuroscience News
Its known causes can range from a buildup of earwax and insufficient peripheral irrigation in the inner ear to brain damage and bruxism. There are no standard treatments or medications approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
“Tinnitus is a very widespread symptom in the general population. It is treated with a large number of methods, from ear washing to local anesthetics, antidepressants, antihistamines, antipsychotics and sedatives, with different results,” said Vitor Hugo Panhóca, a CEPOF researcher.
“After finding articles in the scientific literature that reported consistent results from laser therapy, we decided to compare the leading treatments and look for more answers to the problem.”
Over a four-week period, Panhóca and his team tested alternative and complementary treatments for idiopathic (unexplained) and refractory tinnitus in more than 100 men and women between the ages of 18 and 65, randomly divided into ten groups.
Treatments tested were laser acupuncture, flunarizine dihydrochloride, Ginkgo biloba (a medicinal plant) and low intensity laser stimulation of the internal auditory canal or meatus (transmeatal stimulation), alone and combined with vacuum therapy, ultrasound, G. biloba or flunarizine dihydrochloride. flunarizine.
Patients underwent eight treatment sessions twice a week. They were clinically assessed before starting treatment, after the eighth session and two weeks later using a “tinnitus disability inventory questionnaire” with a total of 25 questions. A functional subscale comprised 11 questions on mental, social, occupational, and physical limitations due to tinnitus.
The best results were observed in patients treated only with laser acupuncture and only with low-power laser transmeatal stimulation. In the latter case, they were further improved when the irradiation time was increased from 6 minutes to 15 minutes.
Combinations of laser therapy with vacuum or G. biloba therapy, laser acupuncture alone, and flunarizine dihydrochloride alone also had long-lasting therapeutic effects.
“Positive effects include anti-inflammatory action and relaxation. We believe that laser therapy can increase peripheral blood flow, which may be the main cause of the problem in many cases, in addition to stimulating inner ear cell proliferation and collagen production,” said Panhóca.
new protocols
While the CEPOF study is not the only one to show that laser therapy can improve the condition of tinnitus patients, it paves the way for the creation of a protocol for use by dentists, otolaryngologists, speech therapists and other physicians who have this type of of patients, since the number of sessions and the intensity of treatment vary widely in the literature.
“Understanding how successful therapies work will help us focus on the most productive approaches in future studies. This is part of the learning curve when you innovate in health treatments like this,” said Panhóca, adding that there is also a need to investigate the long-term effects of laser therapy.
The study was carried out in collaboration with researchers from the Hospital Irmandade Santa Casa de Misericórdia in São Carlos, the University of the Center of São Paulo (UNICEP) and the Center for Integrated Therapy in Londrina (Paraná state), Brazil, as well as the National Institute Tyndall at University College. Cork (UCC) in Ireland.
About this tinnitus research news
Author: Julia Moioli
Fountain; FAPESP
Contact: Julia Moioli – FAPESP
Image: Image is credited to Neuroscience News.
original research: Open access.
“Effects of red and infrared laser therapy in patients with tinnitus: a double-blind, clinical, randomized controlled study combining light with ultrasound, drugs, and vacuum therapy” by Vitor Hugo Panhóca et al. Personalized Medicine Journal
Abstract
Effects of red and infrared laser therapy in patients with tinnitus: a double-blind, clinical, randomized controlled study combining light with ultrasound, drugs, and vacuum therapy
Background: Tinnitus is a symptom with no specific cause known to date, and there are no associated pharmacogenomics of hearing disorders or FDA-approved medications for the treatment of tinnitus. The efficacy of pharmacological treatments is not reproducible in idiopathic patients and non-existent in refractory patients. Personalized treatments for these patients are a great clinical need. Our study investigated the outcome of potential alternative and complementary treatment modalities for patients with idiopathic and refractory tinnitus.
Methods: We were the first to assess changes in tinnitus disability inventory (THI) score during the course of treatment up to 15 days after complete discontinuation of treatment for new modalities of transmeatal low-level laser therapy (LLLT) using light alone, as well as LLLT combined with vacuum therapy (VT), ultrasound (US), Ginkgo biloba (GB) and flunarizine dihydrochloride (FD), while all results of laser puncture (LP) treatment are also compared, FD only and GB only.
Results: A positive treatment outcome (superior to a placebo effect) was achieved using LP or transmeatal LLLT, while short-term antagonistic effects of VT, US, GB, and FD when combined with LLLT. For transmeatal LLLT, an improvement in treatment outcome was observed by increasing the irradiation time from 6 min to 15 min (with 100 mW laser power applied at 660 nm). Finally, a lasting therapeutic effect superior to placebo was observed at 15 days post-treatment when combining LLLT with VT, GB or using FD alone, using only transmeatal LLLT, or using LP.
Conclusions: LP and Transmeatal LLLT may be promising alternative treatments for patients with idiopathic and refractory tinnitus. Future studies should investigate the long-term effects of LLLT in tinnitus patients, as well as the dosimetry and wavelength of transmeatal LLLT.
Neuroscience News