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Sudden sensorineural hearing loss: evidence from Taiwan

Presenting Author: Chuan-Song Wu

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 June 2016

Chuan-Song Wu
Chuan-Song Wu*
Affiliation:
Department of Otolaryngology, Taipei City Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan. College of Science and Engineering, Fu-Jen Catholic University, New Taipei City, Taiwan. Graduate School of Business Administration, Fu-Jen Catholic University, New Taipei City, Taiwan.
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Abstract

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Learning Objectives: Using the The National Health Insurance research Database to explore the risks of sudden hearing loss in Taiwan.

Taiwan's National Health Insurance program was implemented in March 1995. The National Health Insurance research Database contains registration files and original claim data for reimbursement. The databases are provided to researchers in Taiwan for study proposes. The Taiwan National Health Research Institute has validated the representativeness of the LHID2000 relative to the whole population of NHI enrollees in terms of gender distribution. In addition, several studies have demonstrated the high validity of the data taken from the NHI programme.

Possible causes of SSNHL may include viral or bacterial infection, circulatory disturbance in the area of the anterior inferior cerebellar artery, acoustic tumor, peri-lymphatic fistula, environment , diet or weather . SSNHL is also occasionally preceded by a common cold or upper respiratory tract infection, as reported in patients with vestibular neuronitis or Ménière's disease.

We find that for the period under examination, gender-specific incidence rates per 100,000 of the population were 8.85 for males, and 7.79 for females, and that there was an increase in age-specific SSNHL incidence with age. After adjusting for seasonality, months and trends, there is no significant relationship between monthly SSNHL incidence rates and weather conditions. There is indeed a relationship between physician and hospital characteristics and the LOS for SSNHL patients. Risk of sudden sensorineural hearing loss did not increase following a recent herpes zoster attack. Male patients with SSNHL had a higher proportion of prior OSA than non-SSNHL-diagnosed controls. There was an association between AMI and prior SSNHL.