Background and Objectives The pathogenesis of idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSNHL), an otologic emergency disease, remains unclear. Several studies have attempted to illustrate the association between cytokines and ISSNHL. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prognostic significance of various cytokines in patients with ISSNHL. Subjects and Method In this case-control study, a total of 55 patients with ISSNHL underwent treatment with oral prednisolone for 2 weeks. Serum cytokine levels, including interleukins (ILs) (IL-1a, IL-1b, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-7, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12), and tumor necrosis factors (TNF-α and TNF-β), were measured using human cytokine panels at first visit. Patient characteristics such as age, gender, the status of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, vertigo, time from onset to visit, and initial hearing levels were also evaluated. Results Serum levels of cytokines were correlated with the prognosis of ISSNHL patients. IL-4 ≥0.225 (pg/mL) and TNF-α ≥5.155 (pg/mL) were significantly associated with poor therapeutic outcomes (OR=44.317, p=0.015 and OR=269.465, p=0.006, respectively). In addition, age and initial hearing levels were also significant prognostic factors. Conclusion Patients’ age, initial hearing levels, and serum levels of IL-4 and TNF-α prior to treatment are associated with hearing recovery and can be used as prognostic factors for patients with ISSNHL.
Background and Objectives Burning mouth syndrome (BMS) is a chronic pain disorder involving a burning sensation of the oral cavity without any identifiable oral lesion. According to the recent studies, the pathogenesis of BMS is presumed to be caused by a neuropathic condition. Gabapentin and pregabalin have been used for various neuropathic pains, but pregabalin has several pharmacokinetic advantages over gabapentin. To our best knowledge, there are no recent studies reported on the administration of pregabalin in treating BMS in Korea. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the therapeutic effect of pregabalin in treating BMS.Subjects and Method We chose as candidates 33 patients diagnosed as BMS and took pregabalin for more than four weeks. Pregabalin was administered at 75 mg once a day for 2 to 4 weeks at first, and then the dose was modified depending on whether or not symptoms improved. Effectiveness of treatment was evaluated in the way that the patients subjectively answered whether or not symptoms were improved.Results A total of 21 (63.6%) out of 33 patients were responsive to the treatment. Among those, at the last follow-up, 8 patients (38.1%) showed slight improvement, and 13 patients (61.9%) showed mostly improvement or disappearance of symptoms. The average time interval from starting pregabalin to the first symptom improvement was 50.1 days, and most patients showed symptom improvement within 8 weeks.Conclusion This study concludes that pregabalin can be added as a meaningful option in the treatment of BMS. The additional double-blind clinical study should be followed to further prove the effectiveness of pregabalin.
Background and Objectives We evaluated the symptom improvement, surgical outcomes and post-operative complications of the figure of 8 anchoring suture technique using polycaprolactone (PCL) nasal mesh for the treatment of caudal septal subluxation.Subjects and Method We conducted a retrospective study of patients who underwent between March 2020 and March 2021 endonasal septoplasty using the figure of 8 anchoring suture technique and a PCL nasal mesh as a protective supporting graft. Fourteen patients were divided into two groups, the allergic and non-allergic rhinitis group. Symptom improvements were assessed using the Nasal Obstruction Symptoms Evaluation (NOSE) scores and visual analog scale (VAS) scores for epistaxis and headache. Post-operative patient-reported subjective changes in nasal obstruction were also recorded. All evaluations were conducted one to four months post-operatively.Results Post-operative endoscopic examination revealed that all patients had their septum straightened. The mean post-operative NOSE scores in overall and each item were significantly lower than the mean NOSE scores in the pre-operative period (<i>p</i><0.05). The mean post-operative NOSE scores for patients both with and without allergic rhinitis were also significantly decreased compared to those in the pre-operative period (<i>p</i><0.05). A decrease in VAS scores was significant (<i>p</i>=0.008) for headache but not for epistaxis (<i>p</i>=0.141). All patients reported improvement of subjective nasal obstruction post-operatively.Conclusion The use of figure of 8 anchoring suture technique with a PCL nasal mesh as a protective and supportive graft was proven to be a successful method for correcting caudal septal subluxation.
Background and Objectives One of the most common complaint of tinnitus patients has been sleep disorder. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between sleep disorder and tinnitus.Subjects and Method Patients with tinnitus from July 2018 till August 2019 were enrolled. Subjects who had any acute/chronic disease in the inner and middle ear or external auditory canal, sleep apnea and had more than 3 caffeinated beverages a day was excluded. Study participants completed Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the tinnitus symptom questionnaire, tinnitus handicap inventory (THI), Pittsburg Sleep Quality Inventory (PSQI), pure tone audiometry, a full otologic examination and an interview on past medical history.Results THI was correlated with PSQI global score and BDI. The PSQI subscale most relevant to THI was PSQI 1 (subjective sleep quality). Hearing impairment was correlated with the THI functional subscale. BDI was individually related to PSQI.Conclusion Tinnitus is found to be highly related to sleep disorder, suggesting a common pathway of aggravation and treatment target. Tinnitus is also more affected by sleep disorder than by depression. A further examination and treatment of comorbid sleep disorder in tinnitus patients is recommended.
Background and Objectives Self-reported hearing levels determined by self-report questionnaires are not always correlated with the audiometric hearing level. It is necessary to ascertain the subjectively perceived normal hearing threshold to determine the need for hearing aids at the appropriate time. The objective is to identify the level of correlation between the self-reported hearing level and the audiometric hearing level and ascertain the subjectively perceived normal hearing threshold for each age group.Subjects and Method This cross-sectional study, using the data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey V, looked at participants with hearing loss who were aged ≥40 years. Pure tone audiometry was conducted bilaterally. Self-reported hearing level was ascertained via survey enquiring about hearing loss. The level of correlation between self-reported hearing level and audiometric hearing level, age-specific patterns of hear-ing self-evaluation and subjectively perceived normal hearing values at which participants complained of hearing loss were main outcomes.Results Mean audiometric thresholds (MATs) increased with the age and degree of self-reported hearing level. The accuracy of self-reported hearing level compared to the audiometric threshold decreased with age both in the better-ear and worse-ear groups. Younger participants tended to overestimate their hearing impairment, while older participants tended to underestimate it. Subjectively perceived normal hearing thresholds increased with age and they were very close to the MATs for each age group.Conclusion Results can be useful for devising different age-group specific pure tone audi-ometry-based diagnostic criteria for self-reported hearing loss, which can be used to determine the need for hearing aid in a timely manner.
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