- Design
- Randomised controlled trial, two arms
- Population
- 78 patients with sudden sensorineural hearing loss and anxiety or depression
- Primary outcome
- Pure-tone thresholds and Hamilton depression and anxiety scores
- Effect
- Greater hearing gain at all frequencies with electroacupuncture (P ≤ 0.044); mood scores fell (P < 0.001) vs no significant change with drugs alone
This randomised trial enrolled 78 people with sudden sensorineural hearing loss and anxiety or depression. Half received pharmacological treatment alone and half received 7 days of electroacupuncture in addition. Pure-tone thresholds and Hamilton depression and anxiety scores were measured before and after.
The electroacupuncture group improved at all frequencies, and hearing gain was greater than with drugs alone (P ≤ 0.044 across frequencies). Depression and anxiety scores fell in the electroacupuncture group (P < 0.001) but not in the drug-only group (P ≥ 0.051).
The abstract does not describe blinding, sham control, drug regimen or effect sizes, and it reports P values rather than differences with intervals. A comparison of within-group change is weaker than a direct between-group comparison for the mood scores. The result is not enough to change care for sudden hearing loss, where time to steroid treatment remains the priority.
- Standard prompt treatment of sudden hearing loss should not be delayed for adjunct therapy.
- Screen for anxiety and depression, which are common with sudden hearing loss.
- Treat electroacupuncture as unproven: no sham control or effect sizes were described.
- If a patient asks about acupuncture, discuss it as an adjunct to, not a replacement for, medical treatment.
Why it matters
Hearing loss and low mood travel together, and trials rarely measure both.
Don't overread it
A 78-patient trial with limited description of blinding and effect sizes cannot show that electroacupuncture helps recovery.
The statistics, in plain English
Reporting that one group 'improved significantly' and the other did not does not show that the two differ from each other. A direct between-group estimate with a confidence interval is what you need, and the abstract does not give one for mood.
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