Abstract
BACKGROUND: Patients undergoing hemodialysis (HD) tend to experience hearing loss, including idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSHL). However, little is known about the relationship between HD and ISSHL. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of HD on the hearing level and the treatment prognosis of ISSHL. METHODS: We reviewed the medical records of 23 patients with ISSHL receiving HD treatment (HD group) and 101 patients with ISSHL not receiving HD treatment (non-HD group), and assessed clinical features, results of audiometric tests and blood examination results. RESULTS: Statistically significant differences were not observed in pretreatment hearing level and hearing recovery of the ear affected with ISSHL between the two groups (P > .05). Conversely, hearing thresholds in the unaffected ear were statistically different (P < .0001), and the hearing thresholds of the HD groups were significantly increased compared with those of the non-HD groups, especially at high frequency. In addition, patients with renal dysfunction not receiving HD treatment showed similar hearing thresholds in the unaffected ear when compared with patients receiving HD treatment. CONCLUSION: HD itself did not influence the treatment prognosis of ISSHL. Renal dysfunction itself, and not HD treatment, worsened the hearing level. As similar treatment results are expected, standard treatment should be administered to patients undergoing HD. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 3b.