Vitamin B12 for tinnitus - Literature Review & Commentary - Brief Article

Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients, Oct, 2002

Alan R. Gaby

One hundred thirteen army personnel (mean age, 39 years) with occupational noise exposure were studied. Chronic tinnitus and noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) were present in 57 cases; in 47% of those, blood levels of vitamin B12 were 250 pg/ml or lower. Low levels of vitamin B12 were significantly more prevalent among individuals with tinnitus and NIHL than in those with NIHL alone (27%) and in individuals with normal hearing (19%). In 12 patients with low vitamin B12 levels who received parenteral vitamin B12 therapy, some improvement was observed in tinnitus and associated complaints.

Comment: This study suggests that vitamin B12 deficiency may increase the risk of developing tinnitus and that vitamin B12 injections may improve tinnitus in individuals with NIHL. It is not known whether one has to be deficient in vitamin B12 in order to benefit from injections; in the present study only individuals with low blood levels were treated. Other studies have shown, that vitamin B12 injections can relieve fatigue, diabetic neuropathy, and Bell's palsy, even though the treated patients did not appear to have a vitamin B12 deficiency Therefore, a therapeutic trial of vitamin B12 may be warranted in all patients with tinnitus associated with NIHL, even those with normal blood levels of the vitamin.

Shemesh Z, et al. Vitamin B12 deficiency in patients with chronic-tinnitus and noise-induced hearing loss. Am J Otolaryngol 1993;14:94-99.