OBJECTIVEWe aimed to determine whether blood lipid parameters were related to the severity and the prognosis of idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSNHL) patients.

METHODSA retrospective cohort study of 258 patients with ISSNHL from December 2013 to February 2015. The distribution characteristics of lipids [total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), Non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (Non-HDL-C), et al] in different degree of deafness (mild, moderate, severe, and profound), hearing curve types (low frequency, high frequency, full range frequency, and completely deafness type) and prognosis of recovery (complete, partial, slight, and no recovery) were analyzed by IBM SPSS 22.0 ANOVA analysis, chi square test and multiple regression analysis.

RESULTSTG level in mild hearing loss group was significantly lower than that in severe and profound hearing loss group (P = 0.017 and P = 0.007). There were no correlation between curve types and lipid indexes (P > 0.05). Non-HDL-C level was elevated in no recovery and slight recovery groups (P = 0.026 and 0.021). TC levels in partial recovery group and no recovery group were significantly higher than that in the complete recovery group (P = 0.049 and 0.042), TG was higher in slight recovery group (P = 0.014).

CONCLUSIONSTG has significant correlation with the severity of hearing loss. There are negative correlations between hearing recovery and Non-HDL-C, TC and TG levels. Non-HDL-C, TC and TG might be a prognostic factor for treatment outcome in ISSNHL patients.