Effects of acupuncture on heart rate variability in adult tinnitus patients

Current scientific title as of 04/02/2019: Effects of deep acupuncture versus shallow acupuncture on heart rate variability in adult tinnitus patients: an exploratory study Previous scientific title: Effects of hand acupuncture and shallow acupuncture on heart rate variability in adult tinnitus patients: a randomized controlled trial

Status

Active, not recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

ISRCTN

Registry ID

ISRCTN58013563

Enrollment

Registered

2012-09-03

Start date

2012-10-03

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2019-03-04

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Tinnitus Ear, Nose and Throat Tinnitus

Interventions

Current interventions as of 04/02/2019: 30 tinnitus patients are randomized to receive deep acupuncture or shallow acupuncture for 3 weeks (twice per week). Patients a

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: 1. Typical conditions of unilateral or bilateral tinnitus 2. Age 18-65 years, either sex 3. Tinnitus duration of more than 3 months 4. Not receive any treatment last 1 month 5. Normal language and intelligence ability to answer and fill in the questionnaire 6. Correct understanding of acupuncture, and good compliance to the research observation and evaluation 7. Written and informed consent

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: 1. Objectivity tinnitus 2. Acute or intermittent tinnitus, history of Meniere disease or tinnitus induced by middle ear/inner ear/small pons Angle tumor 3. Underlying disease or history: otitis media, tympanic membrane perforation, eustachian tube function obstacle 4. Acoustic neuroma, Intracranial damage, inner ear disease or use of any ototoxic drugs 5. Severe dysfunction of heart, kidneys or liver 6. The serious original disease of hematopoietic system or endocrine system 7. Serious aphasia, depression syndrome or mental disease

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
Heart rate variability (HRV), measured before and after the first acupuncture session, as well as 3 weeks after the whole acupuncture treatment.	—

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
1. Change of tinnitus severity according to the tinnitus questionnaire of Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI): 1.1. F: Functional subscale (11 factors) 1.2. E: Emotional subscale (9 factors) 1.3. C: Catastrophic subscale (5 factors) Each question of the THI can be answered by the patient with either often (2 points), sometimes (1 point) or never (0 points) with a maximum total score of 100 indicating most severe suffering from tinnitus. The assessment was before and after the first acupuncture session, as well as 3 weeks after the whole acupuncture treatment. 2. Participants also reported adverse events they experienced, including discomfort or bruising at the sites of needle insertion, nausea, or feeling faint after each treatment.	—

Measure

Time frame

1. Change of tinnitus severity according to the tinnitus questionnaire of Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI): 1.1. F: Functional subscale (11 factors) 1.2. E: Emotional subscale (9 factors) 1.3. C: Catastrophic subscale (5 factors) Each question of the THI can be answered by the patient with either often (2 points), sometimes (1 point) or never (0 points) with a maximum total score of 100 indicating most severe suffering from tinnitus. The assessment was before and after the first acupuncture session, as well as 3 weeks after the whole acupuncture treatment. 2. Participants also reported adverse events they experienced, including discomfort or bruising at the sites of needle insertion, nausea, or feeling faint after each treatment.

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Countries

China

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ISRCTN (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Mar 23, 2026