Publication:

Characteristics of patients with sudden onset sensorineural hearing loss: observational study

Background Sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) is considered as acute onset hearing disturbance characterized by hearing loss of greater than 30 decibels.

Methods This retrospective research included data from 83 hospitalized patients (92 ears) and was conducted in a regional multidisciplinary children's medical centre between January 2014 and December 2019. We performed examinations of the eardrum as well as cranial nerves.

Results Among the 92 ears with SNHL, 8 ears (8.7%) in age group of 2-18 years, 33 ears (35.9%) in the group of 19-30 years, 30 (32.6%) and 21 ears (22.8%) represented the age groups of 31-65 and those aged over 65 years respectively. Hearing loss in 5 ears (5,4%) was rated as light, in 7 ears (7.6%) as moderate, in 14 ears (15.2%) as severe, and 66 ears (71.7%) out of the 92 had profound degree of hearing loss. Early treatment of SNHL was positive predictive factor for recovery (OR=2.54, 95% CI 1.09-5.91, p=0.03). The presence of tinnitus was also strongly linked with better recovery outcomes while not significantly associated (OR=2.59, 95% CI 0.91-7.37, p=0.07).

Conclusions In the course of our research, we found that 11.9% of patients made a full recovery, while the total recovery rate was 42.3%. Positive prognostic markers for hearing recovery were early treatment and a strong trend was observed with the presence of tinnitus.