Impact of a relaxation training on psychometric and immunologic parameters in tinnitus sufferers.
OBJECTIVE
Tinnitus often entails severe psychological distress. Reversely, tinnitus may be considered as a chronic stressor. Based on this hypothesis, we investigated whether improving stress-managing capabilities would influence psychological and stress-related immunological parameters in chronic tinnitus sufferers.


METHODS
Tinnitus (TPs, n=26) and non-tinnitus participants (NTPs, n=13) took part in a standardised 10-week relaxation program. An additional group of tinnitus sufferers (n=18), randomly assigned to a waiting list, served as control (TC) subjects. Mood, perceived stress, global quality of life, and tinnitus disturbance were assessed before and after the intervention. The stress-sensitive immunological parameters TNF-alpha, IL-6, and IL-10 were measured before, during, and at the end of the intervention.


RESULTS
The program resulted in a significantly decreased perception of stress, anxious depression, anger, and tinnitus disturbance, paralleled by a reduction of TNF-alpha. No alterations were noted for IL-6 or IL-10. For the NTPs and TCs, no relevant psychological or immune changes could be observed.


CONCLUSIONS
The data suggest that (1) the training offered improved stress-managing capabilities in chronic tinnitus sufferers, and (2) TNF-alpha may be conceived as a stress marker.
Weber
Cora
C
Clinic for Internal Medicine-Psychosomatics, Charité Campus Virchow Clinic, Medical School of the Humboldt University, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353, Berlin, Germany. cora.weber@charite.de
Arck
Petra
P
Mazurek
Birgit
B
Klapp
Burghard F
BF
D000328:Adult; D016207:Cytokines / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016753:Interleukin-10 / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D011594:Psychometrics; D011788:Quality of Life; D011897:Random Allocation; D012064:Relaxation Therapy; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000276:immunology* / Q000628:therapy*; D013663:Teaching; D014012:Tinnitus / Q000276:immunology* / Q000523:psychology*; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000276:immunology
D016207:Cytokines; D015850:Interleukin-6; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D016753:Interleukin-10