Efficacy of combination therapy in adolescent and adult patients with total-deafness sudden sensorineural hearing loss

Abstract

Background: Combination therapy is the first-line option for total-deafness sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL). Age may act as a crucial prognostic factor.

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare efficacy of combination therapy between adolescent and adult patients with total-deafness SSNHL.

Materials and methods: Twenty-five adolescent patients (adolescent group) and 106 adult patients (adult group) with total-deafness SSNHL were recruited. All the recruited patients underwent initial treatment with batroxobin, methylprednisolone, and gastrodin. After 10-day treatment, hearing outcomes were determined by pure-tone average measured by audiometry. Moreover, the total effective rates in the hearing recovery and improvement of tinnitus were calculated.

Results: There existed no significant difference between two groups in the total effective rate of the hearing recovery (p = .110). However, a significant difference was found in the total effective rate of improvement of tinnitus between two groups (p = .016). Both adolescent and adult patients could receive the optimal hearing gains at 500 Hz (20.2 ± 13.3 and 23.1 ± 13.9dB, respectively), followed by those at 1000 Hz (18.8 ± 12.5 and 22.7 ± 14.8dB, respectively). Yet, adult patients could get better hearing gains only at 500 Hz than adolescent patients (p = .02).

Conclusion: Compared with adult patients, adolescent patients with total-deafness SSNHL undergoing combination therapy may be less likely to have hearing recovery and the improvement of tinnitus.

Chinese abstract

背景：联合治疗是全聋突发性感音神经性听力损失（SSNHL）的一线选择。年龄可能是一个重要的预后因素。

目的：本研究的目的是比较联合治疗对青少年和成人全聋SSNHL患者的疗效。

材料和方法：招募了25名患有全聋SSNHL的青少年患者（青少年组）和106名成年患者（成人组）。所有招募的患者均接受了巴曲酶、甲基强的松龙和天麻素的初始治疗。治疗10天后, 通过听力测定法测量的纯音平均值来确定听力结果。此外, 计算听力恢复和耳鸣改善的总有效率。

结果：两组在听力恢复总有效率方面无显着差异（p = .110）。然而, 两组间耳鸣改善的总有效率有显著差异（p = .016）。青少年和成年患者均可在500 Hz（分别为20.2±13.3dB和23.1±13.9dB）时获得最佳听力增益, 其次是1000 Hz（分别为18.8±12.5dB和22.7±14.8dB）。然而, 成年患者只能在500 Hz时获得比青少年患者更好的听力增益（p = .02）。

结论：与成人患者相比, 接受联合治疗的全聋SSNHL青少年患者有听力恢复和耳鸣的改善的可能性更低。

Keywords:

• Total deafness
• sudden sensorineural hearing loss
• adolescent
• adult
• combination therapy

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflict of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.