Martínez RA, Zárate CRE, Martínez WMC

Language: Spanish
References: 10
Page: 59-63
PDF size: 316.07 Kb.

ABSTRACT

Background Superficial sensory hypoacusis does not have medical treatment in allopathic medicine, as it is a nerve cells lesion. It does not have age predilection, and its causes are multiple, some of them are difficult to determine. Its frequency in adults has been reported from 14 to 18%. Currently, many diseases are treated with acupuncture, recognized by the OMS in 1979 as a therapeutic method. Since 1995 in Mexico it is considered a medical specialty. Acupuncture techniques include electroestimulation, with good results.

Objective
To assess the effect of electroacupuncture in adults with unilateral or bilateral superficial sensory hypoacusis of uncertain cause.

Patients and method
We studied 11 adults who attended the audiology clinic of a third level hospital during the first semester of the year 2001. We made them an audiological exam and those who presented superficial sensory hypoacusis were sent to the acupuncture clinic. The exam included tongue revision and 12 pulse measurement, in order to determine the type of deafness according to the Chinese traditional medicine. The treatment consisted of three sessions, one each third day, with puncture and electroestimulation in four specific points. Audiometry was repeated 72 hours after the last session.

Results
We studied 11 patients, 10 women and 1 man, with mean age of 46 years old. There were nine cases with superficial sensory hypoacusis in the right ear and 10 in the left one. The most frequent kind of deafness, according to the Chinese medicine, was deafness caused by wind. Recovery average was of 6 and 8 decibels (dB) in the right and left ears, respectively. There was success and improvement in 12 ears and failure in 7 of them.

Conclusions
The number of cases is not enough to report definitive results; thus, this kind of studies should be repeated with long-term follow-up.

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