Author(s)
Dean Kennedy, MSc
Yash Shroff, BS
Julia Gardland, BS
Genevieve N. Dupuis, BS
Jessica Levi, MD
Affiliation(s)
Boston Medical Center;
Abstract:
Educational Objective: Participants should be able to identify the relationship between cardiovascular risk factors and the occurrence of sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL). They will understand how commonly used cardiovascular risk scores, such as the Framingham Risk Score and CHA2DS2-VASc, can be utilized to assess the likelihood of developing SSNHL. Additionally, participants will gain insight into the evidence supporting a cardiovascular etiology of SSNHL
Objectives: To evaluate the association between cardiovascular risk scores (Framingham Risk Score and CHA2DS2-VASc) and the occurrence of sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) using a large scale national dataset.
Study Design: Retrospective cohort study.
Methods: This study utilized the 2020 Nationwide Readmissions Database (NRD) to identify patients diagnosed with SSNHL using ICD-10 code H912. Cardiovascular risk scores were calculated for all patients based on ICD-10 proxies for age, sex, diabetes, hypertension, and other comorbidities. Comparisons of risk scores between patients with SSNHL and without SSNHL were performed using weighted t-tests and Wilcoxon rank sum tests. Logistic regression was used to evaluate the impact of individual cardiovascular risk factors on SSNHL occurrence.
Results: A total of 384 patients with SSNHL and 32,335,812 without SSNHL were identified in the NRD. Patients with SSNHL had significantly higher average FRS and CHA2DS2-VASc scores compared to those without SSNHL (p < 0.0001). Logistic regression revealed that age, high blood pressure, total cholesterol, diabetes, and vascular disease were all significantly associated with increased odds of SSNHL.
Conclusions: Cardiovascular risk scores, particularly the Framingham Risk Score and CHA2DS2-VASc, are significantly associated with the risk of SSNHL. Given the ease of calculating these scores in clinical practice, they may serve as valuable tools for identifying patients at higher risk for SSNHL, warranting closer monitoring and early intervention.