scholarly journals A Smartphone-Based Approach to Screening for Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss: Cross-Sectional Validity Study

10.2196/23047 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (11) ◽  
pp. e23047
Author(s):  
Heng-Yu Haley Lin ◽  
Yuan-Chia Chu ◽  
Ying-Hui Lai ◽  
Hsiu-Lien Cheng ◽  
Feipei Lai ◽  
...  

Background Sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) is an otologic emergency that warrants urgent management. Pure-tone audiometry remains the gold standard for definitively diagnosing SSNHL. However, in clinical settings such as primary care practices and urgent care facilities, conventional pure-tone audiometry is often unavailable. Objective This study aimed to determine the correlation between hearing outcomes measured by conventional pure-tone audiometry and those measured by the proposed smartphone-based Ear Scale app and determine the diagnostic validity of the hearing scale differences between the two ears as obtained by the Ear Scale app for SSNHL. Methods This cross-sectional study included a cohort of 88 participants with possible SSNHL who were referred to an otolaryngology clinic or emergency department at a tertiary medical center in Taipei, Taiwan, between January 2018 and June 2019. All participants underwent hearing assessments with conventional pure-tone audiometry and the proposed smartphone-based Ear Scale app consecutively. The gold standard for diagnosing SSNHL was defined as the pure-tone average (PTA) difference between the two ears being ≥30 dB HL. The hearing results measured by the Ear Scale app were presented as 20 stratified hearing scales. The hearing scale difference between the two ears was estimated to detect SSNHL. Results The study sample comprised 88 adults with a mean age of 46 years, and 50% (44/88) were females. PTA measured by conventional pure-tone audiometry was strongly correlated with the hearing scale assessed by the Ear Scale app, with a Pearson correlation coefficient of .88 (95% CI .82-.92). The sensitivity of the 5–hearing scale difference (25 dB HL difference) between the impaired ear and the contralateral ear in diagnosing SSNHL was 95.5% (95% CI 87.5%-99.1%), with a specificity of 66.7% (95% CI 43.0%-85.4%). Conclusions Our findings suggest that the proposed smartphone-based Ear Scale app can be useful in the evaluation of SSNHL in clinical settings where conventional pure-tone audiometry is not available.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heng-Yu Haley Lin ◽  
Yuan-Chia Chu ◽  
Ying-Hui Lai ◽  
Hsiu-Lien Cheng ◽  
Feipei Lai ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND Sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) is an otologic emergency that warrants urgent management. Pure-tone audiometry remains the gold standard for definitively diagnosing SSNHL. However, in clinical settings such as primary care practices and urgent care facilities, conventional pure-tone audiometry is often unavailable. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to determine the correlation between hearing outcomes measured by conventional pure-tone audiometry and those measured by the proposed smartphone-based Ear Scale app and determine the diagnostic validity of the hearing scale differences between the two ears as obtained by the Ear Scale app for SSNHL. METHODS This cross-sectional study included a cohort of 88 participants with possible SSNHL who were referred to an otolaryngology clinic or emergency department at a tertiary medical center in Taipei, Taiwan, between January 2018 and June 2019. All participants underwent hearing assessments with conventional pure-tone audiometry and the proposed smartphone-based Ear Scale app consecutively. The gold standard for diagnosing SSNHL was defined as the pure-tone average (PTA) difference between the two ears being ≥30 dB HL. The hearing results measured by the Ear Scale app were presented as 20 stratified hearing scales. The hearing scale difference between the two ears was estimated to detect SSNHL. RESULTS The study sample comprised 88 adults with a mean age of 46 years, and 50% (44/88) were females. PTA measured by conventional pure-tone audiometry was strongly correlated with the hearing scale assessed by the Ear Scale app, with a Pearson correlation coefficient of .88 (95% CI .82-.92). The sensitivity of the 5–hearing scale difference (25 dB HL difference) between the impaired ear and the contralateral ear in diagnosing SSNHL was 95.5% (95% CI 87.5%-99.1%), with a specificity of 66.7% (95% CI 43.0%-85.4%). CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that the proposed smartphone-based Ear Scale app can be useful in the evaluation of SSNHL in clinical settings where conventional pure-tone audiometry is not available.


Author(s):  
Vinod M. K. ◽  
Amanjot Kaur ◽  
Jagdeepak Singh ◽  
Jatinder Singh ◽  
Kulwinder Singh Sandhu ◽  
...  

<p class="abstract"><strong>Background:</strong> To assess the clinical and audiometric profile in patients presenting with sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL).The study also aimed to find out any possible etiology of SSNHL, prognostic factors and effectiveness of treatment. Prospective, open label, randomized study conducted in department of ENT at the Ram Lal eye and ENT hospital attached to Government medical college, Amritsar, Punjab, India.</p><p class="abstract"><strong>Methods:</strong> 50 patients of either sex aged between 18 to 50 years suffering from unilateral or bilateral onset SSNHL included in the study on the basis of predetermined clinical criteria. The hearing assessments of patients were done before and after the treatment with tuning fork tests, pure-tone and impedance audiometry.  </p><p class="abstract"><strong>Results:</strong> Most of the patients of SSNHL presented with unknown etiology. Steroid treatment gave a statistically significant improvement in pure tone averages.  Maximum improvement is observed in patients who started treatment within one month of developing SSNHL. Post-treatment outcomes were not influenced by age of the patient and type of the pure tone audiometry graph. The presence of vertigo and diabetes are bad prognostic factors for hearing outcome in SSNHL.</p><p><strong>Conclusions:</strong> Most of the cases of sudden sensorineural hearing loss have unknown etiology. Patients with associated DM and vertigo are having poor recovery of hearing. Early starting of treatment gives maximum improvement of hearing. </p>


2021 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Erum Naz ◽  
Ghulam Saqulain ◽  
Nazia Mumtaz ◽  
Muhammad Naveed Babur

Objectives: To analyze the prevalence & characteristics of sudden sensorineural hearing loss. Methods: This cross sectional study including n=377 cases of sensorineural hearing impairment, using non-probability convenience sampling, who fulfilled the selection criteria was conducted from 1st July 2019 to 31st October 2019. Study was conducted at Audiology section of ENT department, Lahore General Hospital, Pakistan. Sample included both genders, aged 17-70 years. Cases suffering from inflammatory or obstructive conditions of the external or middle ear and those who could not undergo pure tone audiometry were excluded from the study. Following consent for inclusion in study, data was collected using basic demographic and medical history sheet followed by Audiometric evaluation. Statistical Software for Social Sciences Version 20.0 was used for data analysis. Results: The prevalence rate of sudden sensorineural hearing loss of 14(3.7%) being significantly more common in males 11(78%) than females 3(22%) (p=0.05) & age group 15-35 years (p=0.001). It is commonly of severe or profound degree with downward sloping audiogram (p<0.05), however it is not associated with vertigo (p=0.32), tinnitus (p=0.08) with no side predilection (p = 0.27). Conclusion: We conclude that the prevalence of SSNHL is 3.7% being significantly more prevalent in males and those aged15-25 years. It is mostly characterized by severe to profound degree of hearing loss with downward sloping audiogram with no associated vertigo, tinnitus and side predilection. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.37.4.3851 How to cite this:Naz E, Saqulain G, Mumtaz N, Babur MN. A Hospital based study on sudden sensorineural Hearing Loss: It’s audiological characteristics and prevalence. Pak J Med Sci. 2021;37(4):1133-1138. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.37.4.3851 This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.


2018 ◽  
Vol 132 (11) ◽  
pp. 1039-1041 ◽  
Author(s):  
J Suzuki ◽  
Y Takanashi ◽  
A Koyama ◽  
Y Katori

AbstractObjectivesSodium bromate is a strong oxidant, and bromate intoxication can cause irreversible severe-to-profound sensorineural hearing loss. This paper reports the first case in the English literature of bromate-induced hearing loss with hearing recovery measured by formal audiological assessment.Case reportA 72-year-old woman was admitted to hospital with complaints of profound hearing loss, nausea, diarrhoea and anuria after bromate ingestion in a suicide attempt. On admission, pure tone audiometry and auditory brainstem responses showed profound bilateral deafness. Under the diagnosis of bromate-induced acute renal failure and sensorineural hearing loss, continuous haemodiafiltration was performed. When dialysis was discontinued, pure tone audiometry and auditory brainstem responses showed partial threshold recovery from profound deafness.ConclusionSevere-to-profound sensorineural hearing loss is a common symptom of bromate intoxication. Bromate-induced hearing loss may be partially treated, and early application of continuous haemodiafiltration might be useful as a treatment for this intractable condition.


2018 ◽  
Vol 132 (11) ◽  
pp. 995-999 ◽  
Author(s):  
F Gündoğan ◽  
A Bayram ◽  
M Kalkan ◽  
İ Özcan

AbstractObjectivesTo evaluate the plasma levels of endothelial cell-specific molecule-1 (ESM-1) and pentraxin-3 (PTX-3) in patients with idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss, and to compare the pre- and post-treatment levels in patients responsive and non-responsive to therapy.MethodsThe study included 108 subjects: 51 with idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss and 57 controls. For ESM-1 and PTX-3 analyses, blood samples were collected before and three months after treatment initiation in the idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss group and once for the control group. Treatment response was evaluated three months after therapy initiation with pure tone audiometry, and the patients were divided into two groups: responsive and non-responsive to treatment.ResultsSerum ESM-1 levels were significantly higher in the idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss group than the control group, whereas the difference was not significant for PTX-3. In the responsive and non-responsive groups, ESM-1 and PTX-3 levels were not statistically different before and after treatment.ConclusionTo our knowledge, this is the first study investigating plasma ESM-1 and PTX-3 levels in idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss. Increased plasma ESM-1 levels may confirm endothelial dysfunction involvement in idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss pathogenesis, which could be associated with vascular impairment.


2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 36-40
Author(s):  
İhsan Kuzucu ◽  
Tuba Çandar ◽  
Deniz Baklacı ◽  
İsmail Güler ◽  
Rauf Oğuzhan Kum ◽  
...  

Objectives. Calprotectin, a protein released by neutrophils, has been used in many studies as a biomarker showing the presence of inflammation. In this study, it was aimed to investigate the relationship between serum calprotectin level and response to the treatment of idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSHL).Methods. The present study is a prospective, cross-sectional historical cohort study. The study group consisted of 44 patients with ISSHL, and the control group consisted of 41 healthy volunteers without ear pathology. At the same time, patients in the study group were divided into three groups according to the response to ISSHL treatment (recovered, partially recovered, unrecovered). The relationship between the groups was statistically evaluated in terms of serum calprotectin levels.Results. The mean serum calprotectin value was 75.67±19.48 ng/mL in the study group and 50.24±29.14 ng/mL in the control group (<i>P</i>=0.001). Serum calprotectin value according to the severity of hearing loss in the mild, moderate and severe was 66.20±8.82, 70.35±16.77, and 91.23±19.73 ng/mL, respectively. Serum calprotectin value in the severe group was significantly higher compared to the moderate and mild groups (<i>P</i>=0.004, <i>P</i>=0.001, respectively). Serum calprotectin value according to the treatment response in the recovered, partially recovered and unrecovered groups was 63.36±11.54, 80.17±12.06, and 85.33±22.33 ng/mL, respectively. Serum calprotectin value in the recovered group was significantly lower compared to the partially recovered and unrecovered groups (<i>P</i>=0.002, <i>P</i>=0.001, respectively).Conclusion. Serum calprotectin value informs the clinician about both the severity of hearing loss and the response to treatment. Hence, serum calprotectin can be used as an important biomarker in ISSHL patients for the determination of the prognosis of disease.


2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 32-36
Author(s):  
Shahid Majeed ◽  
Nazia Mumtaz ◽  
Ghulam Saqulain

Background: Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is a common metabolic disorder with a prevalence of 11.77%. Studies report that DM can result in Sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL). A high prevalence of Hearing loss (HL) (43.6%) in diabetics was noted in an Indian study. In absence of local studies and a high expected prevalence, with no screening recommendations, this study was carried out to determine the prevalence of Sensorineural Hearing Loss (SNHL) in Diabetes Mellitus DM in Southern Punjab. Methodology: In this cross-sectional study, a sample of 310 diabetics, hailing from southern Punjab and fulfilling selection criteria were recruited. Samples were collected using probability sampling technique from September 2016 to December 2016. Following detailed history and examination, cases were subjected to pure tone audiometry (PTA) at 0.5 to 6 KHz to obtain hearing thresholds to determine the prevalence. Data was analyzed by SPSS 20. Results: Sample included N=310 diabetics with Mean age of 35.00 + 6.93 years with 58.39% males and 41.61% females. The prevalence of HL was 46.1%. Gender wise of the male population with HL, 27.97% and 28.67% had mild and moderate HL respectively with severe HL in 8.39% cases, while moderate HL was prevalent in females 20.98%, followed by mild HL in 9.97% and severe HL in 4.20%. There was significant correlation between Diabetes and SNHL with p-value < 0.05. Conclusion: There is a high prevalence of sensorineural hearing loss in Diabetes mellitus.


Author(s):  
Saeid Aarabi ◽  
Nasrin Yazdani ◽  
Javad Fakhri ◽  
Vida Rahimi ◽  
Parsa Cheraghipour ◽  
...  

Introduction: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between sudden sensorineural hearing loss, vestibular neuritis, and infection with COVID-19. Materials and Methods: In this study, a total of 56 Iranians (32 females and 24 males) with a Mean±SD age of 45.12±14 years were studied in Tehran City, Iran. Individuals diagnosed with Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss (SSNHL) or vestibular neuritis based on definitive diagnostic criteria were included in the study. The methodology comprised four sections of underlying Sudden Hearing Loss,, auditory and vestibular inspection, SARS-CoV-2 Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) test, and statistical analysis. Also, the videonystagmography test was used in participants with vertigo to diagnose vestibular neuritis. Pure tone audiometry confirmed SSNHL in some patients with a complaint of hearing loss. Furthermore, tuning fork, Rinne and Weber tests were also performed. Results: The results of SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR in 56 subjects showed that eight subjects (22.2%) with vestibular neuritis and two with SSNHL (10%) had a positive RT-PCR test. The Chi- square and Fisher exact-tests with a 95% confidence interval revealed no statistically significant (P>0.05) relationship between COVID-19 infection and vestibular neuritis or SSNHL. Conclusion: The present study showed no statistically significant relationship between audiovestibular disorders and positive SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR test. However, the possibility of this relationship cannot be ruled out, and there is a need for studies with larger sample sizes.


2014 ◽  
Vol 128 (11) ◽  
pp. 1015-1017 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Diao ◽  
F Tian ◽  
J Sun

AbstractBackground:Sudden sensorineural hearing loss rarely occurs in patients with chronic myeloid leukaemia.Case report:We present a case report of a patient who presented with sudden sensorineural hearing loss as the first manifestation of chronic myeloid leukaemia, and review the mechanisms responsible for sudden sensorineural hearing loss in leukaemic patients.Results:A 31-year-old female presented to our clinic with unilateral sudden sensorineural hearing loss and tinnitus. Pure tone audiometry revealed profound sensorineural hearing loss in the left ear at all frequencies. During an investigation into her hearing loss, the patient was found to have chronic myeloid leukaemia.Conclusion:Every case of sudden sensorineural hearing loss must be carefully evaluated, and haematological disorders must be considered in the differential diagnosis of sudden hearing loss.


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