OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: To evaluate clinical characteristics and possible associated factors of idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSNHL) in children using univariate and multivariate analyses.

STUDY DESIGN

A retrospective case series with comparisons.

METHODS

From January 2007 to December 2013, medical records of 37 pediatric ISSNHL patients were reviewed to assess hearing recovery rate and examine factors associated with prognosis (gender; side of hearing loss; opposite side hearing loss; treatment onset; presence of vertigo, tinnitus, and ear fullness; initial hearing threshold), using univariate and multivariate analysis, and compare them with 276 adult ISSNHL patients.

RESULTS

Pediatric patients comprised only 6.6% of pediatric/adult cases of ISSNHL, and those below 10 years old were only 0.7%. The overall recovery rates (complete and partial) of the pediatric and adult patients were 57.4% and 47.2%, respectively. The complete recovery rate of the pediatric group (46.6%) was higher than that of the adult group (30.8%, P = .040). According to multivariate analysis, absence of tinnitus, later onset of treatment, and higher hearing threshold at initial presentation were associated with a poor prognosis in pediatric ISSNHL.

CONCLUSIONS

The recovery rate of ISSNHL in pediatric patients is higher than in adults, and the presence of tinnitus and earlier treatment onset is associated with favorable outcomes.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE