Sudden single-sided hearing loss. Disease analysis

Abstract

Sudden sensorineural hearing loss is still a difficult task for many specialists, not only due to the fact that in most cases the cause of the disease cannot be identified but also due to the lack of effective methods of treatment and rehabilitation. Objective. To assess the etiology, prevalence, structure, and gender aspects of sudden single-sided sensorineural hearing loss. Material and methods. A retrospective review of outpatient records to identify patients with single-sided sudden sensorineural hearing loss for subsequent detailed analysis of the data obtained. The main inclusion criteria were age over 18 years, single-sided hearing loss with perception thresholds corresponding to the IV degree of hearing loss/deafness (according to the unified WHO classification, 1997), sensorineural type of hearing loss, and sudden onset of the disease. Results. A study group was formed consisting of 82 patients with sudden single-sided sensorineural hearing loss. An analysis was made of the main etiological factors, prevalence, structure, and gender aspects of this pathological condition. Conclusions. It was found that sudden unilateral SNT is diagnosed on average in 3.2% of cases, is predominantly idiopathic in nature, manifests itself in the 4th–5th decade of life, has no gender differences, but is characterized by a more frequent lesion of the left ear.