Objective: Through a prospective cohort study, to assess the clinical efficacy of methylprednisolone (MP) and dexamethasone (DXM) in treatment of all-frequency sudden hearing loss.
Methods: A total of 76 cases of all-frequency sudden hearing loss were included in this study and divided into two groups. The MP group (n = 40) was treated with MP 40 mg qd, for 5 days, combined with conventional treatment. The DXM group (n = 36) was treated with DXM 10 mg qd, for 5 days, combined with conventional treatment. The total period of treatment was 14 days.
Results: After the treatment for 14 days, in the MP group,17 cases were cured (42.5%), 7 cases were markedly improved (17.5%), 9 cases were effective (22.5%), and 7 cases were invalid (17.5%), the total effective rate was 82.5%. As for the patients in the DXM group, 13 cases were cured (36.1%), 6 cases were markedly improved (16.7%), 8 cases were effective (24.2%), and 9 cases were invalid (25%), the total effective rate was 75.0%. The pure tone audiometry in all-frequency was improved (31.5 ± 17.8) dB in the MP group, and (33.1 ± 24.2) dB in the DXM group. The speech recognition rate was improved (41.7 ± 29.8) %, and (42.0 ± 39.1) % in the DXM group. There were no significant differences between two groups.
Conclusion: There is no significant difference of therapeutic efficacy between the low-dose MP group and High-dose DXM group.