Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 25, 2025
Neuro-rehabilitation Approach for Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss
Published on: January 25, 2016
Cardiovascular Risk and Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
João Filipe Carvalho Pereira Mano Simões1,2, Stephan Vlaminck1, Raquel Maria Fino Seiça2
1Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Centre Hospitalier de Mouscron, Mouscron, Belgium.
Objectives/Hypothesis:
It was previously suggested that patients with idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSNHL) have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease. The aim of this study is to determine if ISSNHL patients have an increased cardiovascular risk by means of a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Methods:
A systematic literature review was performed using PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Libraries and Web of Science. Studies with a clear definition of ISSNHL, investigating an association between traditional vascular risk factors and ISSNHL were included. Adhering to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) guidelines, two reviewers extracted the data, assessed the risk of bias and performed the analysis of the collected evidence.
Results:
Nineteen case-control studies and two cohort studies were included (102,292 patients). Individual studies argued for higher prevalence of hypercholesterolemia, diabetes mellitus (DM) and higher blood pressure (HBP) in ISSNHL patients with a range of odds ratios (ORs) from 1.03 to 19. Pooled analysis of adjusted ORs revealed a significantly increased risk of ISSNHL for patients with hypertriglyceridemia (OR 1.54; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.18-2.02) and high levels of total cholesterol (TC) (OR 2.09; 95% CI 1.52-2.87 after sensitivity analysis), but not for HBP, DM, or high levels of low- and high-density lipoproteins.
Conclusion:
An association between higher vascular risk profile and ISSNHL seems apparent in high levels of triglycerides (TG) and TC, but more studies are needed to confirm this hypothesis due to the high levels of data heterogeneity in the literature.
Level Of Evidence:
NA Laryngoscope, 133:15-24, 2023.
Related Concept Videos
01:25Cardiovascular System Abnormal Findings II: Auscultation
Abnormal Heart Sounds
Gallops:
01:25Assessment of the Cardiovascular System IV: Auscultation
Normal Heart Sounds
S1 (First Heart Sound)-
S1 is made by the closure of the mitral and tricuspid valves (atrioventricular valves), marking the beginning of systole.
S2 (Second Heart Sound)-
S2 is made by the closure of the aortic and pulmonic valves (semilunar valves), marking the end of the systole.
01:23Assessment of the Cardiovascular System I: Subjective Data
Initial Enquiry
Ask the patient about their primary concern and thoroughly explore all reported symptoms.
Medical History
Investigate past illnesses affecting the cardiovascular system, such as angina, anemia, rheumatic fever, congenital heart disease, stroke, thrombophlebitis, dysrhythmias, varicosities
Inquire about symptoms...
01:18Neural Regulation of Blood Pressure
Baroreceptor Reflex
Baroreceptors, located in the carotid sinuses and aortic arch, detect changes in blood pressure. When blood pressure rises, these stretch-sensitive receptors...