Chinese scalp acupuncture associated with bilateral electroacupuncture demonstrated, in the short term, a statistically significant improvement by reducing the level of tinnitus intensity, as well as improving the quality of life of individuals with tinnitus.

Introduction  The aging process causes changes in body structure in a continuous manner, and contributes to clinical disorders. Life expectancy is increasing, especially in developing countries. Objective  To assess the prevalence of hearing loss and its possible association with hypertension and diabetes mellitus (DM) in the elderly. Methods  A cross-sectional study with 519 elderly individuals aged over 60 years who underwent an audiological evaluation (pure tone audiometry), and answered a comorbidity questionnaire that included questions about age, gender, tinnitus and medical history, with data concerning DM. The dependent variable was the presence of hearing loss. The independent variables were age, gender, DM and hypertension. The variables were presented in absolute numbers and proportions, and enabled us to estimate the prevalence. The statistical analysis was performed through multiple logistic regression with 95% confidence intervals and values of p  < 0.05 for the hearing loss and its associated factors. Results  A total of 519 subjects of both genders with a median age of 69 years were evaluated, and the individuals who did not attend the audiometric test were excluded from the study, so the final sample was composed of 498 subjects. Sensorineural hearing loss was more prevalent (66.26%) of most frequently with bilateral hearing loss of 91.56% and 26.50% with mild degree. The statistical analysis showed that the variable DM was associated with the high frequency of hearing loss in the elderly, and according to the multiple logistic regression, the risk factors are independent of the hearing loss only for age and exposure to occupational noise. Conclusions  There was a statistically significant difference between hearing loss at high frequencies and the risk factors, that is, age and DM.

Introduction Tinnitus affects a large portion of the world's population. There are several questionnaires being used for the evaluation of the severity of tinnitus and its impact in quality of life; however, they do not measure treatment-related changes. So, a new self-reported questionnaire was developed, the Tinnitus Functional Index (TFI), which has been translated into several languages. Objective To perform the translation, cultural adaptation and validation of the TFI questionnaire for Brazilian Portuguese. Method This is a multicenter project divided into two stages: translation and cultural adaptation; and validation and reliability. For the validation, the Brazilian Portuguese version of the TFI was correlated with the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) domains for tinnitus and quality of life and was evaluated by the Spearman ρ test. The reliability and internal consistency were evaluated by the Cronbach α test. Result The Brazilian version of the TFI was obtained through an initial translation process, synthesis of translations, backtranslation and evaluation by a committee of experts. This version was then applied in 88 patients complaining of tinnitus from speech therapy and otorhinolaryngology outpatient clinics of the three school clinics. The Brazilian version presented high reliability, as evidenced by the Cronbach α value (α = 0.870), and strong correlation (rho = 0.760 and p = 0.000). Conclusion The high reliability found in the results demonstrates that the Brazilian Portuguese version of the TFI is a valid and reliable instrument to evaluate the severity and impact of tinnitus on quality of life and changes related to its treatment.