ROLE OF GINKGO BILOBA IN TINNITUS
BASED ON TINNITUS HANDICAP INVENTORY
ABSTRACT AIMS AND OBJECTIVES To evaluate whether there is role of Ginkgo biloba in treatment of tinnitus or not, using Tinnitus Handicap Inventory MATERIAL METHODS: The present prospective study, after approval by Institutional Ethics Committee, was conducted in Department of ENT, GMC Jammu from January 2019 to January 2020 on 90 patients with primary complaint of tinnitus. Inclusion criteria- Age: 20 years or above, Duration of tinnitus > 3 months. Informed consent was taken and all patients were asked to complete the THI-Tinnitus Handicap Inventory. All patients were given 50mg of Ginkgo biloba standardized extract LI 1370 (containing 25% flavonoids, 3% ginkgolides and 5% bilobalides). Patients were advised to take three tablets daily for 12 weeks. RESULTS The mean pre-treatment THI score was 43.6 and mean post-treatment THI score (at 12 weeks) was 39.4; the mean change in THI score was 4.2, the result being statistically insignificant (p-value= 0.43). Out of 90 patients, 51 reported unchanged severity of tinnitus, 27 patients reported improvement in severity of tinnitus and 12 patients reported worsening of condition. CONCLUSION According to our study, Ginkgo biloba has no significant therapeutic role in tinnitus. However, the aetiology of tinnitus is multifactorial and Ginkgo biloba could benefit patients with ischemic aetiology. KEYWORDS Ginkgo, biloba, handicap, inventory, tinnitus