Real life safety of systemic steroids for sudden sensorineural hearing loss: a chart review

Nir Halevy, Bshara Elias, Shahaf Shilo, Nidal Muhanna, Ophir Handzel, Yahav Oron, Rani Abu Eta, Omer J. Ungar*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

5 Scopus citations

Abstract

Objectives: To report adverse events (AEs) associated with systemic steroid treatment in idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSNHL). Material and methods: A retrospective chart review of consecutive patients newly diagnosed with ISSNHL necessitating systemic steroidal treatment was conducted from 1/2017 to 2/2021. Blood pressure (BP) was monitored three times daily and morning fasting glucose was monitored once daily during treatment. An AE was defined as a fasting blood glucose level > 160 mg/dl, systolic BP > 80 mmHg, and diastolic BP > 100 mmHg. Results: In total, 143 patients were enrolled [69 (48%) males and 74 (52%) females] of whom 29 (20%) had diabetes mellitus (DM) and 46 (32%) had hypertension (HTN). The cohort’s median age (interquartile range) was 58 (37–69) years. Fifty-three patients (37%) did not complete the oral steroidal treatment due to any AE (glycemic or hypertensive). Background DM highly correlated with increased risk of a glycemic event (0.59 vs. 0.13 for diabetic and non-diabetic patients, respectively, P < 0.001). HTN correlated significantly with increased risk of an overall AE (0.54 vs. 0.29 for hypertensive and non-hypertensive patients, respectively, P = 0.001). Neither pre-treatment BP nor glucose level predicted the risk of an AE (P = 0.310 and 0.521, respectively). Conclusions: AEs due to systemic steroidal treatment are common among ISSNHL patients. Demographic and baseline values cannot predict the risk of AEs which can occur throughout the entire duration of treatment. Patients with DM and HTN are at the greatest risk of AEs. Tight blood glucose and BP monitoring are recommended during treatment. Level of evidence: 4.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)4787-4792
Number of pages6
JournalEuropean Archives of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology
Volume279
Issue number10
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 2022

Keywords

  • Idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss
  • Systemic steroids

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Real life safety of systemic steroids for sudden sensorineural hearing loss: a chart review'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this