Clinical characteristics of sudden hearing loss during pregnancy

Objective: The objective of this study was to explore the clinical characteristics and management of sudden hearing loss (HL) during pregnancy, thus better guiding the clinical practice.Methods: The clinical and follow-up data of 17 patients (17 ears) with sudden HL during pregnancy were analyzed retrospectively (the observe group). Twelve nonpregnant female patients (12 ears) with sudden HL of similar clinical characteristics were selected as the control group. The prognosis of the two groups was compared. All the patients were followed up after delivery, and two of them were readmitted to the hospital 1–2 months after delivery.Results: The observe group had better improvement in hearing and a higher response rate compared to the control group. The pure tone hearing and speech recognition rate of patients could still be improved after the readmitted treatment, and the hearing could partially recover spontaneously during follow-up. The laboratory indicators that affect the inflammatory response and coagulation pathway were significantly different between the two groups.Conclusions: The hearing condition of sudden HL during pregnancy is severe, and the prognosis of these patients is better than nonpregnant patients of similar clinical characteristics. Postpartum treatment is still effective, and some patients showed self-healing with time during follow-up. The inflammatory response and coagulation function may affect the hearing of patients through a metabolic pathway.