[Acupuncture combined with oral western medication for Meniere's disease: a randomized controlled trial]

To compare the effect difference between acupuncture combined with western medication and simple western medication for Meniere's disease.

Ninety-six patients with Meniere's disease were randomly assigned into a combination group (48 cases, 12 cases dropping) and a medication group (48 cases, 9 cases dropping). Betastatin mesylate tablets (once 12 mg, 3 times a day) and mecobalamin tablets (once 0.5 mg, 3 times a day) were prescribed orally in the two groups. Acupuncture was used in the combination group, twice a week, 20 min a time, and the acupoints were Baihui (GV 20), Fengchi (GB 20), Tinggong (SI 19), Hegu (LI 4), Quchi (LI 11), Zusanli (ST 36), Fenglong (ST 40), Taichong (LR 3), Taixi (KI 3) and Tianshu (ST 25). All the treatment was given for continuous 12 weeks. The symptoms were observed by dizziness handicap inventory (DHI), tinnitus handicap inventory (THI), pure tone audiometry score and stuffy ear visual analogue scale (VAS). The effects were compared in the aspects of dizziness, hearing and activity.

The scores of DHI, THI, pure tone audiometry and VAS scores after treatment were lower than those before treatment in the two groups (all P<0.05), with lower scores of the above 4 indexes in the combination group after treatment (all P<0.05). The difference values before and after treatment of the 4 indexes in the combination group were higher than those in the medication group (all P<0.05). The effective rates of dizziness, hearing and activity in the combination group were 97.2% (35/36), 91.7% (33/36), 88.9% (32/36), which were better than 71.8% (28/39), 74.4% (29/39) and 69.2% (27/39) in the medication group (all P<0.05).

Acupuncture combined with conventional medication achieve better effect than simple conventional medication.