The efficacy of medication on tinnitus due to acute acoustic trauma

Seventy-two young males suffering from acute acoustic trauma with tinnitus due to gunshots were included prospectively in the study. Forty of the subjects had the left ear affected, four the right ear and the remaining 28 sustained bilateral acoustic traumas. The mean time of admission after onset of symptoms was 28 days (5-88 days). The subjects were randomly categorized into three groups: group A received trimetazidine, prednisolone and complex B vitamins; group B were treated only with trimetazidine; and group C received prednisolone and complex B vitamins. At 3-month follow up, tinnitus had been completely eradicated in only eight subjects and had subsided in 17. No statistically significant difference was found between the three groups concerning improvement of tinnitus. However, it was found that early admission predisposed towards better prognosis. The degree of hearing improvement after medication did not seem to correlate with the relief of tinnitus.