Clinical study of sudden deafness treated with integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine

Objective: To explore the mechanisms of integrated traditional Chinese and western medicine (TCM-WM) in treating sudden deafness.Methods: One hundred and forty-six patients suffered from sudden deafness were divided into two groups, 64 cases in the treated group were treated with TCM-WM therapy and the other 82 cases treated with western medicine alone for control.Results: The total effective rate of the treated group was 92.19%, that of the control group was 75.61%. The difference between the two groups was significant,P < 0.01.Conclusion: The TCM-WM therapy is very effective in treating sudden deafness. Its mechanism might be: (1) Decrease of the blood viscosity and increase of the red blood cell’s tenacity, so that the blood stream could pass through unimpededly. (2) Decrease of the plasma TXA₂ level and increase of the PGI₂ level, to benefit the blood supply for inner ear. (3) Increase of the activity of SOD and clearing away the free radicals so as to reduce the damage to the inner ear.