SUDDEN SENSORINEURAL HEARING-LOSS AND HEMOSTATIC MECHANISMS

Objective: To evaluate the possible causal role of pathologic hemostat ic mechanisms in sudden hearing loss. Design: The study was prospectiv e. Setting: The patients were hospitalized, and all tests were perform ed at the hospital. Patients: Thirty-two consecutive patients with sud den hearing loss participated, as well as a control group of 28 health y individuals. The control group was matched with regard to body mass index. Main Outcome Measures: Venous blood analyses were made regardin g general blood parameters, as well as specific hemostatic parameters. Results: Twenty-five of the patients had some kind of aberration of s pecific hemostasis parameters; seven patients had an increase in the a ctivity of the plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (ie, a glycoprotein a ssociated with diminished fibrinolysis) compared with that in the cont rol group (P<.05). Increased plasminogen activator inhibitor levels we re most frequently observed among the patients who were overweight. Se ven of the oldest patients had an increase of D-dimers, ie, a degradat ion product of fibrin, and most of these patients had a history of car diovascular disease. Conclusion: Although isolated aberrations in the hemostatic pathway were observed, we concluded that pathologic hemosta sis does not seem to have a decisive importance for the pathogenesis o f sudden deafness.