What Researchers Did
This retrospective study evaluated the recurrence rate of sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) and its correlation with clinical and audiometric characteristics in 73 patients.
What They Found
The 2-year recurrence rate for SSNHL was 5.60%, increasing to 10.34% at 5 years. Approximately 70% of patients experienced partial recovery upon recurrence. Recurrences affected the same ear in 42.8% of cases, the contralateral ear in 42.8%, and were bilateral in 14.4%.
What This Means for Canadian Patients
Canadian patients experiencing sudden sensorineural hearing loss should be aware that recurrences are relatively rare events. If a recurrence does occur, it may affect either ear and often results in partial hearing recovery.
Canadian Relevance
This study has no direct Canadian connection as it was conducted in Italy.
Study Limitations
A significant limitation of this study was the small number of participants who experienced a recurrence, which limited the ability to identify predictors.