Clinical significance of evaluation of some metabolic and hematological parameters in patients with sudden sensorineural hearing loss

Background Sudden sens orineural hearing loss (SSNHL) is a medical emergency, being mostly an idiopathic disease. Understanding the pathogenesis of SSNHL may help physicians for diagnosis and intervention. Objective The aim of the present study was to investigate some metabolic and hematological parameters in patients with SSNHL and related them to their clinical condition. Patients and methods The study was conducted on 50 patients with SSNHL and 20 age-matched and sex-matched controls. Both groups were subjected to audiological and laboratory evaluation of their fasting blood sugar (FBS), lipid profile, thyroid function test, neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio, and platelet–lymphocyte ratio. Moreover, the relation between these laboratory parameters and the severity of hearing loss was studied. Results By comparing patients with parameters in both groups, FBS, triglycerides (TG), neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio, and platelet–lymphocyte ratio were found to be significantly increased in the patient group. Moreover, increased FBS, TG, and free thyroxine appeared to be related to the severity of the hearing loss. Conclusion Hyperglycemia, hypertriglyceridemia, and hyper-inflammatory state can be considered as risk factors in the pathogenesis of SSNHL. Moreover, increased serum levels of FBS, TG, and free thyroxine are closely associated with the severity of the disease.