Comparable Outcomes in Pediatric and Adult Patients With Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss

Area of Science:

• Otolaryngology
• Audiology
• Pediatric Medicine

Background:

• Unilateral idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) affects both children and adults.
• Prognostic factors and treatment efficacy may differ between pediatric and adult populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify prognostic factors for unilateral idiopathic SSNHL in pediatric and adult patients.
• To compare the therapeutic efficacy of SSNHL treatment between pediatric and adult groups.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective cohort study of 1947 hospitalized patients (219 pediatric, 1728 adult) with unilateral idiopathic SSNHL.
• Inpatient therapy administered following Chinese Guidelines for SSNHL, with pediatric dosing adjusted.
• Analysis using multivariable logistic regression, propensity score matching, restricted cubic spline, and machine learning.

Main Results:

• Shared prognostic factors identified: audiogram configuration, hearing loss degree, and treatment-onset time.
• Comparable complete recovery (18.7% vs. 16.4%) and overall efficacy (52.5% vs. 54.1%) between pediatric and adult groups post-matching.
• Therapeutic windows identified as 14 days for children and 15 days for adults; treatment-onset time was a key predictive feature.

Conclusions:

• Pediatric and adult patients with unilateral idiopathic SSNHL share significant prognostic factors.
• Therapeutic efficacy is comparable when appropriate treatment protocols are followed.
• Early intervention within two weeks of symptom onset is critical for maximizing auditory recovery.