Factors Associated with Vestibular Disorders in Patients with Sensorineural Hearing Loss Due to Acute Acoustic Trauma: A brief report

Background & Aim: Acute acoustic trauma is an important cause of sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL). Determination of the frequency and contributing factors for vestibular disorders is important, therefore, the current study was performed to assess these factors in patients referred to the ears, nose, and throat (ENT) clinic of one of the hospitals in Tehran, Iran, during the years 2017 to 2019. Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive comparative study was conducted with participation of 31 patients with SNHL due to acute acoustic trauma referred to the ENT clinic of one of the Tehran hospitals during the years 2017 to 2019.  All patients were analyzed for demographic and clinical characteristics. Results: The vestibular disorder was seen in 14 cases (45.16%). The mean age was 36.1 and 31 years in participants with and without vestibular disorder (P=0.013). The increase in P13 latency in the left ears of patients (P=0.021) was the only audiological related parameter to vestibular disorders. The number of traumatic events and the time has passed since the traumatic experience had no effect on vestibular disorders. (P > 0.05). Conclusion: The results of this study showed that older age and longer latency of P13 in the left ear could be considered as related factors affecting the development of vestibular disorders in patients with sensorineural hearing loss due to the acute acoustic trauma.  No correlation was found with other indicators.