2008 Volume 101 Issue 10 Pages 743-748
One hundred thirty-two patients complaining of acute hearing loss or tinnitus were seen at the Department of Otolaryngology in Nippon Koukan Hospital and Koukan Clinic during the one-year period from April 2006 to March 2007. We investigated oxidative stress in 13 of 60 cases of acute sensorineural hearing loss (Group AHL) and 21 of 53 cases of chronic hearing loss, or tinnitus (Group CT). Free Radical Analytical System 4 (diacron-reactive oxygen metabolites) was used to investigate the level of free radical oxidative stress. We compared the d-ROM level between 13 Group AHL patients and 21 Group CT. The d-ROM levels were higher in Group AHL than in Group CT. We compared the d-ROM levels before treatment and after administration of glucocorticoids. After treatment, d-ROM levels decreased in Group AHL and hearing levels also improved. Some patients in Group CT underwent tinnitus retraining therapy (TRT) with a tinnitus control instrument (TCI) and were followed up. We conducted a survey to evaluate patients using the tinnitus handicap inventory (THI) score. Patients who underwent TRT were normal before therapy, but d-ROM levels did not indicate any change between before and after treatment although the THI scores improved significantly. Our findings suggest that acute Sensorineural hearing loss is related to oxidative stress at the onset of acute sensorineural hearing loss, such as sudden deafness.
