ENT Updates

Clinical Research

Retrospective evaluation of the relationship between seasonal factors and idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss

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https://doi.org/10.2399/jmu.2018001006
Durmuş, K., Bora, A., Çam, S., & Elif Altuntaş, E. (2018). Retrospective evaluation of the relationship between seasonal factors and idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss. ENT Updates, 8(1). https://doi.org/10.2399/jmu.2018001006
Volume 8 Issue 1 (2018)
Copyright (c) 2018 Kasım Durmuş, Adem Bora, Selim Çam, Emine Elif Altuntaş
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Authors

  • Kasım Durmuş
    Department of Otolaryngology, Faculty of Medicine, Sivas Cumhuriyet University, Sivas, Turkey
  • Adem Bora Department of Otolaryngology, Cumhuriyet University School of Medicine, Sivas, Turkey
  • Selim Çam Department of Production Management, Faculty of Business, Gaziosmanpafla University, Tokat; Statistician, Cumhuriyet University Hospital, Sivas, Turkey
  • Emine Elif Altuntaş Department of Otolaryngology, Faculty of Medicine, Cumhuriyet University, Sivas, Turkey

Objective: We aimed to investigate whether climatic conditions of the region where we live and meteorological parameters had any effect on pathogenesis and prognosis of idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSNHL) or not.

Methods: Sixty-eight ISSHL patients, who were treated in our department, were evaluated retrospectively. Meteorological data, including monthly ambient, maximum and minimum temperatures, relative humidity, atmospheric pressure and rainfall, were obtained from the observation station of the Central Weather Bureau of Sivas. The meteorological data for 10 days before the onset of the disorder and in a period of 21 days after the beginning of the treatment were used to investigate the relationship between climatic data and ISSNHL. Siegel’s criteria were used to evaluate the treatment success.

Results: The relationship between ISSNHL and seasons was observed to be statistically significant when the seasonal distributions of the cases were evaluated statistically (p<0.05; p=0.008). The change between Siegel’s criteria and season was also statistically significant (p<0.001). As recovery in hearing of cases with ISSNHL in accordance with Seigel’s criteria and meteorological parameters were evaluated, a statistically significant difference was determined in terms of weather temperature; minimum pressure, and rainfall in the period of 10 days before the treatment. However, when patients were evaluated based on meteorological variables in the period of 21 days after the treatment, there was a statistical correlation with the hearing recovery of the patients according to Siegel’s criteria only in terms of rainfall (p<0.005).

Conclusion: Our study is the first one indicating that there might be a relationship between rainfall and both pathogenesis and prognosis of ISSNHL. Even though the results of the related studies in the literature varied, we concluded that the relationship between ISSNHL and temperature, pressure, rainfall, and season should not be ignored.

Keywords:

Sudden sensorineural hearing loss season weather conditions etiology recovery