ArticleJournal of the Chinese Medical Association : JCMA2026
Early hearing improvement predicts complete recovery in sudden hearing loss.
Article in Journal of the Chinese Medical Association : JCMA, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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Abstract
backgroundEarly prediction of recovery in sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) remains challenging. Early hearing improvement (EHI) may serve as a simple prognostic marker, but its quantitative relationship with complete recovery (CR) has not been well defined. We investigated the association between EHI and CR and explored whether this relationship differed according to pretreatment hearing severity.
methodsWe conducted a retrospective case-control study of adults hospitalized for a first episode of unilateral SSNHL at a tertiary referral center in Taiwan between 2012 and 2022. Patients who achieved CR, defined as a final four-frequency pure-tone average ≤25 dB hearing level (HL), were matched by pretreatment hearing grade to patients without CR. EHI was defined as the change in pure-tone average from baseline to the first follow-up audiogram within 2 weeks. Multivariable linear probability models and logistic regression were used to evaluate the association between EHI and CR.
resultsThe study included 240 patients (120 with CR and 120 without CR). Younger age and a shorter onset-to-treatment interval were independently associated with a higher probability of CR (age: β per 1-year increase, -0.009; 95% CI, -0.013 to -0.005; p < 0.001 and onset-to-treatment interval: β per 1-day increase, -0.013; 95% CI, -0.018 to -0.009; p < 0.001). Mean EHI was 14.9 ± 19.1 dB and increased with pretreatment hearing grade. Each 1-dB increase in EHI was associated with a 1.5% higher probability of CR (β = 0.015; 95% CI, 0.012-0.017; p < 0.001). The strength of this association progressively decreased as pretreatment hearing severity increased. Findings were consistent in sensitivity analyses using logistic regression.
conclusionEHI within 2 weeks is a readily obtainable and quantitatively informative predictor of CR in SSNHL. Its prognostic value is greatest in patients with less severe pretreatment hearing loss and diminishes with increasing hearing severity.
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