Vertigo May Worsen Odds of Recovery in Sudden Hearing Loss

Vertigo is significantly associated with a worse hearing loss recovery, according to a study published in the journal JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery.

Huiqian Yu conducted a study to find the association of vertigo with hearing outcomes of sudden sensorineural hearing loss.

The researchers did a systematic literature review and extracted data from PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase. All original research studies and retrospective or prospective studies focusing on the role of vertigo in the prognosis for the hearing outcome of SSHL were systematically retrieved. Studies that did not include data regarding the association between the rate of hearing recovery and vertigo were excluded including reviews, comments, case reports, editorials, letters, and practice guidelines.

Data extracted by the researchers included research type, number of participants with or without vertigo, treatment regime, the definition of pure-tone average, criteria for hearing an improvement, and length of follow-up. The quality of included studies was evaluated using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (scores range from 0-9, with a score of ≥6 indicates a high-quality study). Studies that did not include data regarding the association between the rate of hearing recovery and vertigo were excluded, as were reviews, comments, case reports, editorials, letters, and practice guidelines

The primary outcome was an association of vertigo with the prognosis for the hearing outcome of SSHL.

The researchers identified 4814 unique patients in 10 studies, 1709 were included in the SSHL group with vertigo and 3105 were included in SSHL group without vertigo. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale score of each study selected was greater than 7. The recovery rate of the hearing was 42.13% in the group with vertigo, compared with 60.29% in the group without vertigo.

The study found that vertigo was significantly associated with a worse hearing recovery. Similar results were obtained in subgroup analyses of the grading system using the Siegel criteria and systemic corticosteroid therapy. However, no association of vertigo with the prognosis of SSHL was observed within the subgroup receiving intratympanic.

The study concluded that vertigo may be negatively associated with hearing recovery in patients with SSHL, except in a subgroup that received intratympanic corticosteroids. Corticosteroid injection may be more effective for treatment of SSHL accompanied by vertigo.

Vertigo is a sensation of spinning while stationary. It is commonly associated with nausea or vomiting, unsteadiness (postural instability), falls, changes to a person's thoughts, and difficulties in walking.

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https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaotolaryngology/article-abstract/2685576