The Zinc Sulphate as a treatment modality in the patients suffering from Tinnitus

Objective: The aim of this study was to find out the prevalence of hypozincemia in patients suffering from Tinnitus and to investigate the effect of Zinc therapy upon the severity of Tinnitus. Material and Methods: We studied 66 who suffered from tinnitus, which were randomized to two groups according to the zinc level including < 50μg/dl and > 50μg /dl groups. The zinc level was measured in non-diluted serum by flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry from fasting blood samples. Results: The zinc level in< 50μg /dl and > 50μg /dl groups, before and after treatment (47.750 vs. 77.3μg/dl, P < 0.02; 86.6μg/dl vs. 98.2 50μg /dl, P<0.001, respectively) was statistically significant. Hence, in Placebo group, before and after treatment the zinc level was not statistically significant (73.2μg/dl vs.72.6μg/dl, respectively). Conclusion: The result showed that the mean of subjective tinnitus in the zinc group decreased. However, the decrease in severity of the tinnitus was not significant in patients receiving placebo. The zinc level increased significantly in the patients treated with zinc. This study indicates that administration of zinc has a beneficial effect on tinnitus but these results still have to be confirmed in clinical trials with larger samples.