Plasma levels of endothelial cell-specific molecule-1 and pentraxin-3 in idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing toss

Objectives. To evaluate the plasma levels of endothelial cell-specific molecule-1 (ESM-1) and pentraxin-3 (PTX-3) in patients with idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss, and to compare the pre- and post-treatment levels in patients responsive and non-responsive to therapy. Methods. The study included 108 subjects: 51 with idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss and 57 controls. For ESM-1 and PTX-3 analyses, blood samples were collected before and three months after treatment initiation in the idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss group and once for the control group. Treatment response was evaluated three months after therapy initiation with pure tone audiometry, and the patients were divided into two groups: responsive and non-responsive to treatment. Results. Serum ESM-1 levels were significantly higher in the idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss group than the control group, whereas the difference was not significant for PTX-3. In the responsive and non-responsive groups, ESM-1 and PTX-3 levels were not statistically different before and after treatment. Conclusion. To our knowledge, this is the first study investigating plasma ESM-1 and PTX-3 levels in idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss. Increased plasma ESM-1 levels may confirm endothelial dysfunction involvement in idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss pathogenesis, which could be associated with vascular impairment.