title: Autoimmune inner ear disease: steroid and cytotoxic drug therapy.
abstract: The goal of this study was to assess the effects of immunosuppressive therapy on hearing in patients with presumed autoimmune sensorineural hearing loss (AISNHL) and a Western blot assay positive for a 68 kD inner ear antigen. To achieve this objective, we conducted a retrospective review of 39 such patients who were treated with either a steroid alone or with a steroid followed by a cytotoxic agent. Pure-tone average (PTA) at 500 Hz, 1 kHz, 2 kHz, and 3 kHz, and speech discrimination scores (SDS) were used as objective measures of outcome. At the completion of treatment, 23 of the 39 patients (59.0%) exhibited a positive response to therapy. The steroid-only responders (n = 6) tended to demonstrate a greater improvement in PTA (14.8 vs 4.5 dB), while the cytotoxic-agent responders (n = 17) had a significantly greater improvement in SDS (26.2 vs 6.9%; p < 0.01). We conclude that most patients with AISNHL benefit from immunosuppressive therapy and that cytotoxic medications appear to improve SDS, even in some patients who have not responded to corticosteroid therapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Ohio State University, Columbus, USA.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Lasak
authors.forename: R T
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Sataloff
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hawkshaw
authors.forename: T E
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Carey
authors.forename: K M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Lyons
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Spiegel
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology; D001379:Azathioprine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003520:Cyclophosphamide / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008727:Methotrexate / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents; D003520:Cyclophosphamide; D001379:Azathioprine; D008727:Methotrexate