Hiroaki Sato1, Shigeru Kuwashima1, Shin-Ya Nishio2, Ryosuke Kitoh2, Satoshi Fukuda3, Akira Hara4, Naohito Hato5, Tetsuo Ikezono6, Kotaro Ishikawa7, Satoshi Iwasaki8, Kimitaka Kaga9, Atsushi Matsubara10, Tatsuo Matsunaga9, Takaaki Murata11, Yasushi Naito12, Takashi Nakagawa13, Kazunori Nishizaki14, Yoshihiro Noguchi2, Kaoru Ogawa15, Hajime Sano16, Michihiko Sone17, Hideo Shojaku18, Haruo Takahashi19, Testuya Tono20, Hiroshi Yamashita21, Tatsuya Yamasoba22, Shin-Ichi Usami2. 1. a Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery , Iwate Medical University , Morioka , Japan. 2. b Department of Otorhinolaryngology , Shinshu University School of Medicine , Matsumoto , Japan. 3. c Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery , Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine , Sapporo , Japan. 4. d Department of Otolaryngology, Faculty of Medicine , University of Tsukuba , Tsukuba , Japan. 5. e Department of Otolaryngology , Ehime University School of Medicine , Toon , Japan. 6. f Department of Otorhinolaryngology , Saitama School of Medicine , Moroyama , Japan. 7. g Department of Otolaryngology, Hospital , National Rehabilitation Center for Persons with Disabilities , Tokorozawa , Japan. 8. h Department of Otolaryngology , International University of Health and Welfare, Mita Hospital , Tokyo , Japan. 9. i Division of Hearing and Balance Research , National Institute of Sensory Organs, National Hospital Organization Tokyo Medical Center , Tokyo , Japan. 10. j Department of Otorhinolaryngology , Hirosaki University Graduate School of Medicine , Hirosaki , Japan. 11. k Department of Otolaryngology , Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine , Maebashi , Japan. 12. l Department of Otolaryngology , Kobe City Medical Center General Hospital , Kobe , Japan. 13. m Department of Otorhinolaryngology , Kyushu University Graduate School of Medical Sciences , Fukuoka , Japan. 14. n Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery , Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmacy , Okayama , Japan. 15. o Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery , Keio University School of Medicine , Tokyo , Japan. 16. p Department of Otolaryngology , Kitasato University School of Medicine , Sagamihara , Japan. 17. q Department of Otorhinolaryngology , Nagoya University, Graduate School of Medicine , Nagoya , Japan. 18. r Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery , University of Toyama , Toyama , Japan. 19. s Department of Otolaryngology , Nagasaki University Faculty of Medicine , Nagasaki , Japan. 20. t Department of Otolaryngology, Faculty of Medicine , University of Miyazaki , Miyazaki , Japan. 21. u Department of Otolaryngology , Yamaguchi University Graduate School of Medicine , Ube , Yamaguchi , Japan. 22. v Department of Otolaryngology, Faculty of Medicine , University of Tokyo , Tokyo , Japan.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: A nationwide epidemiological survey involving 23 hospitals in Japan was conducted and the predictive values of demographic data were examined statistically. METHODS: A total of 642 patients from 23 hospitals, including 20 university hospitals, in Japan were enrolled in the study. Age ranged from 8 to 87 years, and all were diagnosed with acute low-tone sensorineural hearing loss (ALHL) between 1994 and 2016. Demographic data for the patients, such as symptoms, gender, mean age, and distribution of ALHL grading, were collected and analyzed in relation to prognosis using Student's t-test, χ2 test and logistic regression. RESULTS: Female gender (p < .013), younger age (p < .001), low-grade hearing loss (p < .001), and shorter interval between onset and initial visit (p < .004) were significantly predictive of a good prognosis. The prognosis for definite ALHL was significantly better than that for probable ALHL (p < .007). CONCLUSIONS: The severity of initial hearing loss, interval between onset and initial visit and age were important prognostic indicators for ALHL, while female gender was an important prognostic indicator peculiar to ALHL.
OBJECTIVES: A nationwide epidemiological survey involving 23 hospitals in Japan was conducted and the predictive values of demographic data were examined statistically. METHODS: A total of 642 patients from 23 hospitals, including 20 university hospitals, in Japan were enrolled in the study. Age ranged from 8 to 87 years, and all were diagnosed with acute low-tone sensorineural hearing loss (ALHL) between 1994 and 2016. Demographic data for the patients, such as symptoms, gender, mean age, and distribution of ALHL grading, were collected and analyzed in relation to prognosis using Student's t-test, χ2 test and logistic regression. RESULTS: Female gender (p < .013), younger age (p < .001), low-grade hearing loss (p < .001), and shorter interval between onset and initial visit (p < .004) were significantly predictive of a good prognosis. The prognosis for definite ALHL was significantly better than that for probable ALHL (p < .007). CONCLUSIONS: The severity of initial hearing loss, interval between onset and initial visit and age were important prognostic indicators for ALHL, while female gender was an important prognostic indicator peculiar to ALHL.