Objective: To investigate the pure tone audiometry characteristics and curative effect in sudden hearing loss patients with hypertension.
Method: One hundred and fifty-seven inpatients (168 ears) with hypertension suffered from sudden hearing loss were included in this study. We retrospectively analyzed the audiological index of these patients by comparing the pure tone audiometry (PTA) among patients in the aspects of gender, age, affected side, duration of hypertension, with or without inducement, concomitant symptoms and other combined diseases. The hearing threshold at different frequency was also compared, as well as the curative effect among patients with diverse audiological characteristics.
Result: Of the contemporaneous sudden hearing loss patients (874 cases), the prevalence of hypertension was 17.96%, where the male ones accounted for. 28.69% (103/359) and the female ones accounted for 19.42% (54/278) respectively with statistically significant difference between genders (P < 0.01). The prevalence of hypertension in 34-44 years old group, 45-49 years old group, 60-69 years old group and over 70 years old group was 12.69% (25/197), 22.51% (70/311), 47.62% (40/84), 48.89% (22/45) respectively, which were statistically different (P < 0.01). The number of impaired ears with audiogram configuration characterized by rise type, downslope type, flat type and completely deafness type was 18 (10.71%), 61 (36.31%), 41 (24.40%), and 48 (28.57%), respectively. The decrease of hearing threshold in PTA were increasingly severe as the increasing impaired-frequency, and the difference of the degree of hearing impairment among these three types of frequencies was statistically significant (P < 0.01). The hearing threshold means of each frequency had no significant difference among patients with various gender, age and Cardiovascular Risk Stratification (P > 0.05). The hearing threshold means of each frequency of unilateral hearing loss patients was significantly higher than that of bilateral hearing loss patients (P < 0.05). The hearing threshold means at 125 Hz, 250 Hz, 500 Hz and 1 kHz showed significant difference among patients with different duration of hypertension (P < 0.05). The total effective rate of sudden hearing loss in patients with hypertension was significantly lower than that in the sudden hearing loss patients without hypertension (19.64%, 61.57% respectively, P < 0.01). The total effective rate presented significant difference among patients with different duration of hypertension and different Cardiovascular Risk Stratification (P < 0.05).
Conclusion: The prevalence of sudden hearing loss in hypertension patients was higher in male than in female, which rose with age and combined disease. The hearing threshold means at mid-frequency and high-frequency were higher than that at low-frequency. The total effective rate of sudden hearing loss was relatively low in patients with hypertension. The longer the duration of hypertension and the higher the Cardiovascular Risk Stratification, the lower the total effective rate. Comprehensive understanding of audiological characteristics and hypertension condition plays a crucial role in type-specific treatment of sudden hearing loss.