OBJECTIVETo investigate the clinical characteristics and the effects of different drug therapies in patients of sudden deafness accompanied with tinnitus.

METHODSThe international standardized clinical research methods, the unified design and program were used in the study. The patients of sudden deafness accompanied with tinnitus, aged between 18 to 65 years old, were recruited, whose duration was less than two weeks with no medication. The patients were divided into four types according to the hearing curve: type A was acute sensorineural hearing loss in low tone frequencies, type B was acute sensorineural hearing loss in high tone frequencies, type C was acute sensorineural hearing loss in all frequencies and type D was total deafness. Each type had four different treatment programs, based on the unified designed randomized table.

RESULTSA total of 1024 cases with single side sudden deafness were recruited in the study by 33 hospitals in China from August 2007 to October 2011. Among the 1024 cases, 922 cases were accompanied with tinnitus (90.04%). By classification of audiogram, among the 922 cases, 169 cases were type A (82.44%), 127 cases were type B (90.07%), 370 cases were type C (92.04%), and 256 cases were type D (92.75%). The tinnitus mostly was persistent and low tone tinnitus. The degree of the tinnitus was mostly 2-3 grade. The curative effects of different types were analyzed, type A had the highest rate of 96.18%, type C was 87.75%, type B was 81.51%, and type D had the lowest rate of 75.32%. Significant difference of curative rate between different types was detected (χ² = 125.33, P = 0.000). There had no significant difference between the four different treatment groups (all P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSIn the cases with single side sudden deafness accompanied with tinnitus, the type in low tone frequencies has the best curative effect, followed by the type in all frequencies. The type in high tone frequencies and the total deafness type have poor curative results. The steroid plays a good effect in the treatment.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; China ; Hearing Loss, Sensorineural ; complications ; therapy ; Hearing Loss, Sudden ; complications ; therapy ; Hearing Tests ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Tinnitus ; complications ; therapy ; Young Adult