Auricular point pressing combining lavipeditum with Chinese medicine in treatment of sudden deafness by improving sleep quality

Objective To investigate the effect of auricular acupoint pressing combined with lavipeditum with Chinese medicine in the treatment of sudden deafness by improving sleep quality. Methods Ninety patients diagnosed with sudden deafness at our hospital from January, 2018 to February, 2019 were randomized into an observation group (G2), a positive control group (G1), and a negative control group (G0), 30 cases for each group. All the 3 groups were conventionally treated. In addition, group G2 was treated with auricular acupoint pressing and lavipeditum with Chinese medicine; group G1 with sulpiride; and group G0 with placebo. The Chinese version of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and the grading criteria for sudden deafness developed by the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Otolaryngology Society were used to evaluate the therapeutic effects (Sleep quality and hearing outcome) of the three groups before and 7 and 14 days after the treatment. Results 7 days after treatment, both the sleep quality and hearing performance in the three groups were not significantly improved (all P>0.05). 14 days after the treatment, both the sleep quality and mean hearing threshold (HL) were (5.14±2.61) and (30.67±10.11) dBHL in group G2, (8.23±2.32) and (40.17±12.25) dBHL in group G1, and (9.59±4.21) and (37.10±9.23) dBHL in group G0, with statistical differences (all P<0.05). The sleep improvement of the group G2 was positively correlated with the hearing recovery (R2=0.73). Conclusion Auricular acupoint pressing combining lavipeditum with Chinese medicine can treat sudden deafness by improving sleep quality. Key words: Sudden deafness; Auricular acupoint pressing; Lavipeditum with Chinese medicine; Sleep disorders