Indications for aspirin as a palliative for tinnitus caused by SOAEs: a case study

This paper explores the effect of aspirin on the tinnitus of one patient for whom two contralateral spontaneous otoacoustic emissions (SOAEs) caused binaural tinnitus. The relation between the SOAEs and tinnitus was explored during a preliminary testing session, after which the SOAEs were measured for 7 days. During days 1, 2, 5, 6 and 7 of the trial, a placebo (two 50-mg tablets of ascorbic acid) was administered four times per day. During days 3 and 4, a drug (two 300-mg tablets of aspirin) was administered four times per day. During day 2, the right ear's SOAE was low level and labile, sometimes disappearing into the noise floor. The effect of aspirin on an emission which is not consistently observed, cannot be assessed so this report focuses primarily on the left ear. During days 1 and 2, the SOAE in the left ear was present and the tinnitus was audible. By day 3 (after 2.4 g of aspirin), the SOAE in the left ear had been abolished, and the tinnitus was not audible. On the fifth day (24 hours after the last aspirin), both the SOAE and the tinnitus in the left ear had returned. There were no reported side-effects of the aspirin. Thus, aspirin seemed to provide an acceptable palliative for this patient's SOAE-caused tinnitus.