Commentary on "Clinical and audiologic characteristics of patients with sensorineural tinnitus and its association with psychological aspects: an analytic retrospective study"

Analysis of Clinical Characteristics and Psychoacoustic Indexes in Different TCM Syndromes of Idiopathic Tinnitus

Objective

To explore the differences in clinical characteristics and psychoacoustic indexes of various traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndromes in patients with idiopathic tinnitus.

Methods

312 patients with idiopathic tinnitus in our hospital from December 2017 to March 2020 were selected; divided into the wind evil invasion group (n = 61), the liver fire disturbance group (n = 69), the phlegm fire stagnation group (n = 42), the spleen and stomach weakness group (n = 48), and the kidney essence loss group (n = 92) according to the medical syndrome type and the detailed medical history; and clinical characteristics of patients in each group were compared.

Results

The kidney essence loss group's age and course of disease were older and longer than those of other syndrome groups, and the wind evil invasion group's disease course was shorter than the liver fire disturbance, phlegm fire stagnation, and spleen and stomach weakness groups (P < 0.05). The PSQI score of all patients was higher than 7 points, but there was no obvious difference between the groups (P > 0.05). The SAS score of the liver fire disturbance and the phlegm-fire stagnation groups was higher than that of the wind evil invasion, the spleen and stomach weakness, and the kidney essence loss groups, and the SDS score of the spleen and stomach weakness and the kidney essence loss groups was higher than that of the wind evil invasion, the liver fire disturbance, and the phlegm and fire stagnation groups (P < 0.05). The kidney essence loss group's total hearing loss rate (92.39%) was higher than the other syndrome groups, and the wind evil invasion group's total hearing loss rate (8.19%) was lower than the other syndrome groups (P < 0.05); the low to medium frequency tone of tinnitus's rate in the wind evil invasion group, liver fire disturbance group, and phlegm fire stagnation group was higher than the spleen and stomach weakness group and the kidney essence loss group, but the high frequency tone of tinnitus's rate was opposite. The tinnitus loudness in these groups was higher than the spleen and stomach weakness and kidney essence loss group (P < 0.05).

Conclusion

In addition to the wind evil invasion type, most tinnitus patients may have different levels of psychological disorders. So, in the treatment of idiopathic tinnitus, in addition to the disease itself, paying more attention to the psychological status of the patient is one better therapeutic method. Besides, clinical characteristics and the psychoacoustic indexes of patients with idiopathic tinnitus have a certain correlation with the TCM syndromes.