Quality of Life and Hearing Eight Years After Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss.
To explore long-term hearing results, quality of life (QoL), quality of hearing (QoH), work-related stress, tinnitus, and balance problems after idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSNHL).



Cross-sectional study.



We reviewed the audiograms of 680 patients with unilateral ISSNHL on average 8 years after the hearing impairment, and then divided the patients into two study groups based on whether their ISSNHL had recovered to normal (pure tone average [PTA] ≤ 30 dB) or not (PTA > 30 dB). The inclusion criteria were a hearing threshold decrease of 30 dB or more in at least three contiguous frequencies occurring within 72 hours in the affected ear and normal hearing in the contralateral ear. Audiograms of 217 patients fulfilled the criteria. We reviewed their medical records; measured present QoL, QoH, and work-related stress with specific questionnaires; and updated the hearing status.



Poor hearing outcome after ISSNHL was correlated with age, severity of hearing loss, and vertigo together with ISSNHL. Quality of life and QoH were statistically significantly better in patients with recovered hearing, and the patients had statistically significantly less tinnitus and balance problems. During the 8-year follow-up, the PTA of the affected ear deteriorated on average 7 dB, and healthy ear deteriorated 6 dB.



Idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss that failed to recover had a negative impact on long-term QoL and QoH. The hearing deteriorated as a function of age similarly both in the affected and the healthy ear, and there were no differences between the groups. The cumulative recurrence rate for ISSNHL was 3.5%.



4 Laryngoscope, 127:927-931, 2017.
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Tampere University Hospital and School of Medicine, University of Tampere, Finland.|Department of Anatomy, Tampere University Hospital and School of Medicine, University of Tampere, Finland.
Kati
K
Härkönen
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Tampere University Hospital and School of Medicine, University of Tampere, Finland.|Department of Ear and Oral Diseases, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland.
Ilkka
I
Kivekäs
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Tampere University Hospital and School of Medicine, University of Tampere, Finland.|Department of Ear and Oral Diseases, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland.
Markus
M
Rautiainen
Department of Ear and Oral Diseases, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland.
Voitto
V
Kotti
Department of Ear and Oral Diseases, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland.
Juha-Pekka
JP
Vasama
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001301:Audiometry, Pure-Tone; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000523:psychology*; D003639:Hearing Loss, Sudden / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic / Q000379:methods; D011788:Quality of Life; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult
D005938:Glucocorticoids
Unilateral; hearing; prognosis; quality of life; sudden sensorineural hearing loss