title: Lipid profiles and obesity as potential risk factors of sudden sensorineural hearing loss.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objective of our study was to establish whether increased lipid profiles and obesity affect the prevalence and prognosis of sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL).
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a case-controlled study with a longitudinal design. According to our criteria, 324 patients with SSNHL were included in this study. To manage potential covariates, 972 subjects with normal hearing from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were matched as control group according to their propensity scores. Age, level of total cholesterol (TC), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), triglycerides (TG), and body mass index (BMI) were obtained from the clinical data. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the association between SSNHL and lipid profiles or obesity in the 1296 subjects. Multivariate Cox regression analysis was used to determine whether lipid profiles and obesity are prognostic factors in patients with SSNHL.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean body weight, BMI, TC, and TG were significantly higher in patients with SSNHL compared with control subjects (p<0.05). However, LDL-C values did not differ significantly between the two groups. Subjects with elevated TC and TG levels had a 2.20- (95% CI 1.50-3.24) and 1.50-fold (95% CI 1.08-2.08) increased odds, respectively, of SSNHL compared with subjects with normal TC and TG levels. Subjects with grade III BMI had a 1.59-fold (95% CI 1.17-2.16) increased odds of SSNHL. Multivariate Cox regression analyses revealed that BMI was an independent risk factor of treatment outcome, as patients with BMI ≥27.5 were less likely to achieve complete recovery than those with BMI <27.5 (p<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of this study revealed that elevated TC and TG levels and increased BMI are significantly associated with the prevalence of SSNHL and its prognosis, indicating that vascular compromise may play an important role in the pathogenesis of SSNHL.
authors: Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital, Anyang, Republic of Korea.
authors: Joong Seob
authors: JS
authors: Lee
authors: Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital, Anyang, Republic of Korea.
authors: Dong Hyun
authors: DH
authors: Kim
authors: Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital, Anyang, Republic of Korea.
authors: Hyo Jeong
authors: HJ
authors: Lee
authors: Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital, Anyang, Republic of Korea.
authors: Hyung Jong
authors: HJ
authors: Kim
authors: Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Republic of Korea.
authors: Ja Won
authors: JW
authors: Koo
authors: Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital, Anyang, Republic of Korea.
authors: Hyo Geun
authors: HG
authors: Choi
authors: Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital, Anyang, Republic of Korea.
authors: Bumjung
authors: B
authors: Park
authors: Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital, Anyang, Republic of Korea.
authors: Sung Kwang
authors: SK
authors: Hong
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications*; D015995:Prevalence; D011379:Prognosis; D012307:Risk Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D008055:Lipids