Acute Low Tone Sensorineural Hearing Loss: Consideration for Progression to Meniere's Disease

Oh, Yoon Suk; Kim, Kyu Sung; Choi, Hoseok; Kim, Kyu Jin

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
Low tone sensorineural hearing loss is deterioration in audiometric low frequencies (250 and 500 Hz), preservation of high frequencies (2, 4, and 8 kHz). The aim of this study is to find out differences of clinical manifestation and prognosis of acute low tone sensorineural hearing loss (ALHL), a subtype of sudden sensorineural hearing loss, and potential progression to Meniere's diseases.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Among 465 patients with unilateral hearing loss initially diagnosed with sudden sensorineural hearing loss, we analyzed clinical characteristics of 96 patients who had acute low tone sensorineural hearing loss, but had no history of previous ALHL.
RESULTS
The clinical features of ALHL include a predominance of female suffers (72.9%), more dizziness (36%), high incidence of sound perception change (16.7%), tinnitus (42.8%), and ear fullness (20.8%). The prognosis shows recovery in 67.7% of patients. However, 24.0% of patients show recurrence of low tone loss, and 15.6% develop Meniere's disease. Specially, if the dizziness symptoms were accompanied, progression to Meniere's disease was more common (31.4%).
CONCLUSION
Our RESULTS: appear that clinical characteristics were different in the ALHL patients compared to the idiopathic sensorineural hearing loss patients. Therefore, when dizziness, ear fullness and tinnitus are accompanied with low tone hearing loss, an appropriate patient education on possible progression to Meniere's disease is necessary.