Prognostic factors in sudden sensorineural hearing loss: a retrospective study using interaction effects

The prognostic significance of vertigo in patients with idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) remains a matter of debate. OBJECTIVE: This paper aims to verify the difference between a group with vertigo and a group without vertigo, and to analyze vertigo's validation as a prognostic factor in patients with SSNHL. METHOD: This study involved 183 patients with SSNHL. A t-test was used to compare group A (SSNHL with vertigo, n = 31) and group B (SSNHL without vertigo, n = 152). Also we want to verify the interaction effects between vertigo and other prognostic factors using multiple regression analysis. RESULTS: There was a significant difference between group A and group B: the initial hearing level of group A was lower than group B, and their treatment onset was also shorter. In addition, vertigo itself didn't affect hearing improvement, but the interaction variable between vertigo and initial hearing level did affect hearing improvement significantly. CONCLUSION: The clinical characteristics of patients with vertigo did not directly affect hearing improvement with SSNHL; however, vertigo had an influence on SSNHL though its interaction with the initial hearing levels.