Research highlights the importance of treating sudden hearing loss within 7 days
24 September 2024
A team of clinician scientists at University College London Hospital (UCLH) have identified the factors which predict full hearing recovery, with the strongest predictor being treatment with steroids within seven days of a sudden drop in hearing.
This study, the largest to date, was done in collaboration with 240 Resident Doctors who saw 812 adults with sudden hearing loss across 76 hospitals in England and Wales. The team analysed the data and found that patients who received steroids within seven days of being seen were five times more likely to fully recover their hearing compared to those who were not given steroids, even after accounting for all other patient and hearing loss factors.
These findings are outlined in JAMA Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery.1
The team also found that only about 60 per cent of these patients were treated within this critical window, which led them to develop an online tool that can predict the chance of full hearing recovery in adults presenting with sudden hearing loss. The Seashel recovery calculator, which is freely available online to clinicians, estimates the chance of full hearing recovery based on five key patient and disease factors (age, presence or absence of heart disease, presence or absence of dizziness, the severity of hearing loss and whether steroid treatment has already been given.) By developing the recovery calendar, the team aims to help ENT specialists and patients make informed decisions about treatment plans and follow-ups.
ENT surgeon Nish Mehta, who led the research team at UCLH, said:
"Time is of the essence when it comes to restoring hearing after sudden hearing loss. It is important that patients who experience a sudden drop in their hearing seek urgent medical attention. It is also important that the medical teams who first see these patients either arrange appropriate urgent specialist review or consider steroid treatment if the specialist review is unlikely to occur within the appropriate timeframe.
Consultations between specialists and patients can now benefit from precise predictions on the chance of full hearing recovery if our free online calculator is used. This information can be used to guide shared decision making between specialists and their patients regarding treatment and follow up plans.”
1 Mandavia R, Joshi N, Hannink G, Ahmed MN, Parmar D, Di Bonaventura S, Gomes P, Iqbal I, Lyles J, Schilder AGM, Mehta N; SEASHEL collaborative. A Prognostic Model to Predict Hearing Recovery in Patients With Idiopathic Sudden Onset Sensorineural Hearing Loss. JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2024 Sep 5:e242598. doi: 10.1001/jamaoto.2024.2598