title: [High-dose steroid therapy for sudden deafness--efficacy in severe cases].
abstract: We studied the efficacy of high-dose steroid therapy for severe sudden deafness, and evaluated various factors that affect hearing recovery; i.e., severity of hearing loss, age, presence of vertigo and time to the beginning treatment. Twenty-eight patients with idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss whose hearing levels were 60 dB or more were analyzed. They were given 200 mg of prednisolone per day intravenously according to Stennert's method. Hearing recovery was assessed by the criteria of the Sudden Deafness Research Group of the Japanese Ministry of Health and Welfare. The overall recovery rate and cure rate were 50% and 14%, respectively. Patients whose initial hearing levels were within 90 dB showed a significantly higher cure rate than those with above 90 dB (36% (n = 11) vs 0% (n = 17), p < 0.05). The cure rate was significantly higher in the vertigo (-)-group than in the vertigo (+)-group (40% (n = 10) vs 0% (n = 18), p < 0.02). The cure rate was also higher in patients under 50 years of age who were treated within 7 days after onset than in the others (31% (n = 13) vs 0% (n = 15), p < 0.05). The recovery rate was higher when patients were under 50 years of age (63% vs 33%), treated within 7 days after onset (56% vs 42%), or had an initial hearing level within 90 dB (55% vs 47%); however, the differences were not statistically significant. We conclude that these prognostic factors are important for predicting the hearing recovery of patients with severe sudden deafness who undergo high-dose steroid therapy and, therefore, for determining whether this therapy is indicated.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Sendai National Hospital.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Asada
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nakabayashi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Furukawa
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D003639:Hearing Loss, Sudden / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011239:Prednisolone / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014717:Vertigo / Q000150:complications
chemical_list: D011239:Prednisolone