Introduction: Up to 18% of people in industrialised societies have mild tinnitus, which severely affects daily life in 0.5% of people. Tinnitus can be associated with hearing loss, acoustic neuromas, drug toxicity, ear diseases, and depression. Tinnitus can last for many years, and can interfere with sleep and concentration.
Methods and outcomes: We conducted a systematic review and aimed to answer the following clinical question: What are the effects of treatments for chronic tinnitus? We searched: Medline, Embase, The Cochrane Library and other important databases up to December 2006. (BMJ Clinical evidence reviews are updated periodically, please check our website for the most up-to-date version of this review). We included harms alerts from relevant organisations such as the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
Results: We found 37 systematic reviews, RCTs, or observational studies that met our inclusion criteria. We performed a GRADE evaluation of the quality of evidence for interventions.
Conclusions: In this systematic review we present information relating to the effectiveness and safety of the following interventions: acamprosate, acupuncture, antidepressant drugs, baclofen, benzodiazepines, carbamazepine, cinnarizine, ear-canal magnets, electromagnetic stimulation, ginkgo biloba, hearing aids, hyperbaric oxygen, hypnosis, lamotrigine, nicotinamide, psychotherapy, tinnitus-masking devices, tinnitus retraining therapy, zinc.