Fotobiomodulação em pacientes com zumbido: acompanhamento do efeito terapêutico

Abstract

Purpose: Tinnitus is the perception of sound without an external source, which can have neurological, metabolic, or psychological causes and may occur in individuals with or without hearing loss. Its intensity and impact on quality of life vary and impact and are measured using objective protocols, such as acuphenometry, and subjective ones, such as the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) and the Visual Analog Scale (VAS). Photobiomodulation, a non-invasive therapy that uses low-intensity light, has shown potential in treating tinnitus. Studies indicate benefits in reducing discomfort, although the results vary. Objective: To characterize the self-perception of the impact of tinnitus in the pre, during, and post-photobiomodulation therapy phases. Methods: The study, which was quasi-experimental, descriptive, and cross-sectional in nature, was approved by the Ethics Committee (approval no. 6.803.099) and conducted at the Speech-Language Pathology Clinic of UFRN. The research involved 19 adults (aged 19 to 69 years), reduced to 10 participants after applying inclusion criteria, such as tinnitus and normal hearing thresholds or sensorineural hearing loss. Audiological assessments were performed, and therapeutic procedures using photobiomodulation were carried out over eighth sessions with intervals of at audiometry, acuphenometry, otoacoustic emissions, and auditory brainstem response testing. Results: The subjects with tinnitus predominantly presented with the bilateral and acute type, with normal hearing thresholds. Before the intervention, the THI questionnaire indicated that 50% classified their tinnitus as negligible, 40% as mild, and 10% as moderate. Afterward, 70% considered it negligible and 30% mild, demonstrating an improvement in perception for six patients, while two reported worsening associated with the use of psychiatric medications. The Wilcoxon test showed a statistical difference in some sessions, but the McNemar test did not identify significant changes between the fourth and eighth sessions, indicating variable results in tinnitus perception. Conclusion: It is concluded that there was a change in self-perception of tinnitus after the application of photobiomodulation therapy. The results of the VAS scale indicated that, starting from the third session, changes in tinnitus self-perception were observed. The importance of continuing research is emphasized, with an expanded sample size, to better characterize the effects of photobiomodulation during and after the therapeutic process