Korean J Otorhinolaryngol-Head Neck Surg.  2021 Aug;64(8):540-547. 10.3342/kjorl-hns.2020.01053.

A Comparative Study on the Treatment Effect of Lipo-Prostagladin with Hypertension and Diabetes Mellitus in Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss Patients

• Heo HJ
• Choi CH
• Kim MG
• Hong SH
• Seo JW

• KMID: 2519751
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3342/kjorl-hns.2020.01053

Abstract

Background and Objectives
Several drugs which can improve blood flow have been used as treatment options for sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) based on the theory that improvement of perfusion into the inner ear will help restore hearing. Lipo-prostaglandin E1 (lipo-PGE₁) is a well-known vasodilator that increases peripheral blood flow. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of lipo-PGE₁ on the recovery of the SSNHL patients with hypertension or diabetes.
Subjects and Method
We retrospectively analyzed 801 patients who were diagnosed with SSNHL from January 2007 to December 2018. All patients were treated with 48 mg of methylprednisolone for 5 days; some patients received lipo-PGE₁, depending on the attending physician. They were divided into four groups according to the presence or absence of hypertension and diabetes. Hearing test was performed again one month after treatment and compared with the test results at the time of diagnosis.
Results
As a result of comparing the hearing thresholds before and after the treatment in each group, there was a significant improvement in hearing thresholds in all groups (p<0.001). However, when comparing the effect of lipo-PGE₁ for hearing change, there was a significant difference only in the group without any underlying diseases (p=0.016).
Conclusion
In this study, we show that lipo-PGE₁ was helpful in hearing recovery when used in patients without underlying diseases rather than patients with hypertension or diabetes. Further studies will be needed to determine the therapeutic effects of lipo-PGE₁ as an adjuvant treatment in SSNHL patients.

Keyword

Diabetes mellitus; Hypertension; Lipo-PGE; Sudden hearing loss