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Updated: May 8, 2026
Neuro-rehabilitation Approach for Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss
Published on: January 25, 2016
Self-reported symptoms in patients with idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss
Hajime Sano1, Makito Okamoto, Kentaro Ohhashi
1*Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Kitasato University, School of Medicine, Kanagawa; †Department of Hearing implant science, Shinshu University, School of Medicine, Nagano; and ‡Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Keio University, School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
Objective:
This study evaluated self-reported symptoms in patients with idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSHL).
Study Design:
Cross-sectional study.
Setting:
Multicenter clinical investigation in 9 university hospitals.
Patients:
In total, 140 patients with ISSHL and 24 patients with unilateral sensorineural hearing loss (USHL; control) were included.
Main Outcome Measures:
A questionnaire on symptoms of ISSHL was distributed and the Short-Form Health Survey (Version 2) was used for assessing the quality of life.
Results:
In response to questions on hearing difficulty, many of patients in both groups experienced symptoms. In response to questions on hearing-related discomfort, a significantly higher number of patients with ISSHL experienced symptoms compared with those with USHL. Compared with a high incidence of tinnitus in patients with ISSHL, very low incidence of tinnitus was observed in those with USHL.In the multiple linear regression analysis, hearing-related discomfort was the sole significant factor on the Mental Component Summary scores of the Short-Form Health Survey (Version 2).
Conclusion:
Many patients with ISSHL experience several symptoms such as hearing difficulty, hearing-related discomfort, tinnitus, and anxiety. Hearing-related discomfort strongly affected the quality of life in patients with ISSHL.
