Clinical study of acute low-tone sensorineural hearing loss: survey and analysis of glycerol test and orthostatic test.

Fifty patients (14 men and 36 women ranging in age from 16 to 66 years) with acute low-tone sensorineural hearing loss (ALHL) were retrospectively analyzed in this study. The glycerol test and the orthostatic test were performed. On the glycerol test, 43.8% of 16 ears of the 14 men and 33.3% of 39 ears of the 36 women with ALHL had a positive result. On the orthostatic test, 42.9% of the 14 men and 52.7% of the 36 women with ALHL had a positive result. In addition, 28.6% of the 14 men and 33.3% of the 36 women had hypotension with a systolic blood pressure of 100 mm Hg or less. Our results suggest that endolymphatic hydrops as shown by the glycerol test and an underlying autonomic imbalance and/or insufficient blood circulation as shown by the orthostatic test may be important factors in the causation of ALHL.