title: [Analyses prognostic factors relevant to sudden sensorineural hearing loss].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the prognostic factors relevant to sudden sensorineural hearing loss.
  
  
  METHODS
  The internationally accepted standardized clinical research methods, unified design, and unified program were adopted to conduct the prospective clinical multi-center study. The sudden deafness patients between 18 to 65 years old, with the course of this disorder less than two weeks, and without any medical treatments were collected, and then, divided into four types according to the hearing curve: type A, acute sensorineural hearing loss in low tone frequencies; type B, acute sensorineural hearing loss in high tone frequencies; type C, acute sensorineural hearing loss in all frequencies; and type D, total deafness. The factors, in terms of age, gender, type of initial audiogram, time delay before the first visit, and severity of hearing loss, were included in the analyses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 1 024 cases with single side sudden deafness were collected in the study from 33 hospitals in China from August 2007 to October 2011, inclusive of for 492 males (48.05%) and 532 females (51.95%). The average age was (41.2 ± 12.8) years old. There were 553 cases (54.00%) in left ear, and 471 cases (46.00%) in right ear. The curative effects of different types were shown as follows: the type in low tone frequencies had the highest rate of 90.73%, the type in all frequencies was 82.59%; the type of total deafness was 70.29%; and the type in high tone frequencies had the lowest rate of 65.96%. It had significant difference of the effective rate between different types (χ(2) = 231.58, P = 0.000). Age, time delay before first visit, and severity of initial hearing loss were significantly correlated with hearing improvement.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Initial audiogram of SSNHL might predict hearing recovery. The young in age and a short time delay before starting treatment are positive prognostic factors for hearing recovery in SSNHL. The initial severity of hearing loss is negative prognostic factor of hearing recovery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, First Hospital of Peking University, Beijing 100034, China.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Otology, First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450052, China; Email: xiao_ent@163.com.
authors.forename: Shuifang
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.forename: Zhengang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.forename: Zhen
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhen
authors.forename: Xuexi
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Mingmin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.affiliation: Department of Otology, First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450052, China; Email: qzb@zzu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Zhaobing
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Qin
authors.forename: Bin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zuo
authors.forename: Xianfeng
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Bai
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002681:China; D005260:Female; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003639:Hearing Loss, Sudden / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006320:Hearing Tests; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies