Objectives The prognosis of sudden low frequency hearing loss (SLFHL) is relatively good, but recurrences of hearing loss and possible progression to Meniere’s disease is still a clinically important concern. This study was conducted to confirm the rate at which SLFHL proceeds to Meniere’s disease.
Methods We retrospectively analyzed the medical records of 160 SLFHL patients who were followed up for more than 6 months from September 2005 to August 2013. Progression, initial hearing level, recovery and recurrence of hearing loss were reviewed.
Results 106 patients (66.25%) had complete hearing recovery, 32 (20%) had recurrent hearing loss. Of the 32 recurrent group, 15 (9.38%) had progressed to Meniere’s disease after average of 1.7±1.4 years. The mean age of nonrecurrent group was higher than recurrent group (55.3±14.6 and 48.0±13.4, respectively, p=0.011). The threshold of 250Hz was significantly higher in the nonrecurrent group compared with recurrent group (p=0.047).
Conclusions In patients with SLFHL, recurrence at relatively young age should be considered with the possibility of progression to Meniere’s disease.
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