Recovery From Idiopathic Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss: Association With Cardiovascular Disease Risk.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study is to investigate the association between cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors and idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSNHL) disease severity and recovery.

METHOD

A retrospective medical chart review was performed on 90 patients ( = 48 men; = 59.8 years, = 15.8) evaluated for ISSNHL. Major CVD risk factors (current tobacco smoking, diabetes, total cholesterol ≥ 240 mg/dl or treatment, and hypertension [systolic blood pressure [BP]/diastolic BP ≥ 140/ ≥ 90 mmHg or treatment]) determined two CVD risk groups: lower (no major risk factors) and higher (one or more risk factors). Two pure-tone averages (PTAs) were computed: PTA and PTA. Complete recovery of ISSNHL was defined as PTA - PTA ≥ 10 dB. Logistic regression estimated the odds of ISSNHL recovery by CVD risk status adjusting for age, sex, body mass index, noise exposure, and treatment.

RESULTS

Most patients (67.8%) had one or more CVD risk factors. Severity of initial low- and high-frequency hearing loss was similar between CVD risk groups. Recovery was 53.2% for PTA and 32.9% for PTA. With multivariable adjustment, current/former smoking was associated with lower odds of PTA recovery ( = 0.27; 95% CI [0.08, 0.92]). Neither higher CVD risk status nor individual CVD risk factors had a significant association with recovery. For every one-unit increase in Framingham Risk Score, odds of PTA recovery were 0.95 times lower (95% CI [0.90, 1.00]) after accounting for age, sex, body mass index, noise exposure, and treatment/time-to-treatment grouping ( = .056).

CONCLUSIONS

The prognosis of low-frequency ISSNHL recovery is worse among current/former smokers than nonsmokers. Other CVD risk factors and aggregate risk are not significantly related to recovery.