Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Comparative Study
. 2019 Apr;15(1):51-55.
doi: 10.5152/iao.2019.6197.

Investigation of Stress Levels before the Onset of Idiopathic Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss

Hiroyuki Watanabe  1 , Hajime Sano  2 , Atsuko Maki  1 , Takeshi Ino  1 , Takahito Nakagawa  1 , Makito Okamoto  1 , Taku Yamashita  1
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Investigation of Stress Levels before the Onset of Idiopathic Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss

Hiroyuki Watanabe et al. J Int Adv Otol. 2019 Apr.

Abstract

Objectives: We hypothesized that patients with idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSHL) would have experienced more stress prior to the onset than they typically did. This study investigated stress levels in patients before the onset of ISSHL.

Materials and methods: Forty-two patients with ISSHL were investigated. We used an original questionnaire to evaluate subjective stress levels in 1 week before onset. Serum hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and total cholesterol were examined to evaluate biochemical stress markers reflecting the preceding 1 to 2 months. The results on admission were compared with those at the follow-up visit.

Results: Significantly more patients reported greater physical exhaustion, greater mental exhaustion, or a worse physical condition on admission than at follow-up (p<0.01, for each variable). On admission, 81% of patients reported greater than normal stress with regard to at least 1 of 3 items. The mean serum HbA1c was slightly but nonsignificantly lower at the follow-up visit (p=0.10), while the mean serum total cholesterol was significantly lower at follow-up than on admission (p<0.01).

Conclusion: The results indicate that patients were under a greater degree of stress before the onset of ISSHL, suggesting that stress plays a role in inducing ISSHL.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: The authors have no conflict of interest to declare.

References

    1. Schreiber BE, Agrup C, Dorian O, Haskard DO, Luxon LM. Sudden sensorineural hearing loss. Lancet. 2010;375:1203–11. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(09)62071-7. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Ciccone MM, Cortese F, Pinto M, Di teo C, Fornarelli F, Gesualdo M, et al. Endothelial function and cardiovascular risk in patients with idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss. Atherosclerosis. 2012;225:511–6. doi: 10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2012.10.024. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Stokroos RJ, Albers FW, Schirm J. Therapy of idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss: antiviral treatment of experimental herpes simplex virus infection of the inner ear. Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol. 1999;108:423–8. doi: 10.1177/000348949910800501. - DOI - PubMed
    1. McEwen BS. Allostasis and allostatic load: implications for neuropsychopharmacology. Neurophychopharrmacology. 2000;22:108–24. doi: 10.1016/S0893-133X(99)00129-3. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Kanzaki J, Masuda M. Correlation between stress and acute hearing loss: stress and sudden deafness. Audiology Japan. 2013;56:137–52. doi: 10.4295/audiology.56.137. - DOI

Publication types