INFLUENCE OF BAD PROGNOSTIC FACTORS ON HEARING OUTCOME IN PATIENTS WITH SUDDEN HEARING LOSS

Abstract

Introduction

Sudden hearing loss (SHL) is a condition of idiopathic etiology defined as a hearing loss of more than 30 dB across 3 consecutive frequencies in less than 72 hours. The overall effectiveness of first-line treatment is quite variable, with recovery rates ranging from 32% to 84%. This heterogeneity may be due to factors unrelated to treatment. Some poor prognostic factors—such as age, initial severity of hearing loss, or concurrent metabolic diseases—have been proposed. However, the pathophysiological mechanism by which these may influence the disease and their impact on outcomes remain unclear.

The outcome of the disease is determined based on hearing gain after treatment, measured by audiometry, using the criteria established by Siegel.

General Objective

To determine the influence of poor prognostic factors on the outcome of patients with sudden hearing loss treated at our institute.

Methodology

• Prospective, cross-sectional, observational study.

Inclusion Criteria
Patients with an established diagnosis of sudden hearing loss who were treated at the National Rehabilitation Institute (INR).

Exclusion Criteria
Prior treatment for the condition before evaluation at our institute.
Autoimmune, nutritional, or infectious diseases that could independently affect the outcome of the disease.

Data Processing

The sample was divided into two groups: those who responded to treatment (Siegel criteria types 1–3) and those who did not respond to treatment (Siegel type 4).

Fisher's exact test was used to determine independence between categorical variables. For comparisons between continuous variables in both groups, the Mann-Whitney U test was used.

Results

A total of 22 patients were included. The treatment response group consisted of 9 patients, and the non-response group consisted of 13 patients. Based on our results, the hearing recovery rate was 40.9%. The results are shown in Table 1.

Table 1. Comparison of Characteristics Between Groups   Conclusions

In our population, diabetes and other risk factors appear to have a negative impact on the outcome of sudden hearing loss, although this does not represent a statistically significant difference between patients with and without hearing improvement.