Objective: To study the relationship between fibrinogen level and pathogenesis of sudden sensorineural hearing loss(SSHI.).
Method: Fifty patients (55 ears) with SSHL within 7 days of the onset were studied: a control group was consist of 50 normal-hearing people who were individually matched on a pairwise basis according to the same gender and age. Both the patients and the normal people were tested for the parameters of hemorheology, blood biochemistry, whole blood cell count and clotting function.
Result: Fibrinogen level and plasma viscosity in patients with SSHL were significantly higher than that in control subjects. Prothrombin time and activated partial thromboplastic time were significantly less in the patients group than that in the control group (P < 0.05). There were statistical difference. The parameters of blood biochemistry, whole blood cell count and platelet adhesion test of two groups had no significant difference (P > 0.05).
Conclusion: Elevated plasma fibrinogen may be a major pathogenesis of SSHL. An increase in plasma fibrinogen level may lead to elevated plasma viscosity. All these may promote a prothrombin or hypercoagulable state and impair blood perfusion of cochlea.