Assessment of prestin level changes as an inner-ear biomarker in patients with idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss

Abstract

ObjectiveTo assess the correlation of serum prestin level and audiological findings in adults with idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss.MethodsAudiometry and serum prestin measurements were performed at study entry (T0), at day 14 (end of treatment, T1) and at day 30 (T2).ResultsA total of 25 idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss patients and 25 healthy adults were included. The geometric mean prestin level in the case and control groups at T0 was 227.7 pg/ml and 130.5 pg/ml, respectively. The geometric mean prestin level in the case group demonstrated a downward trend at T1 and T2 (214.0 pg/ml and 180.1 pg/ml, respectively; p < 0.001). Of 17 patients with high baseline prestin levels (over 150 pg/ml), prestin levels tended to decrease in 11 patients, and 5 of them (45.5 per cent) showed good recovery.ConclusionThe prestin concentrations increased in two-thirds of patients with idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss. Future work is recommended to determine the location of injury.