Evaluation of neutrophil/lymphocyte and platelet/ lymphocyte ratios in sudden sensorineural hearing loss and relationship with hyperbaric oxygen therapy

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of neutrophil/lymphocyte (N/L) and platelet/lymphocyte (P/L) ratios in sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) and investigate the effect of combined corticosteroid medical treatment and/or hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy on these values. METHODS: In this study, patients with SSHL at our tertiary center were examined retrospectively. A total of 60 patients with SSNHL and 30 healthy individuals as the control group were included. The patient and control groups were compared in terms of N/L and P/L rates. Furthermore, 60 patients were divided into 2 equal groups (n=30) on the basis of whether they received HBO in addition to combined corticosteroid treatment. RESULTS: The N/L and P/L rates were significantly higher in the patient groups than in the control group at the time of diagnosis and significantly decreased after treatment in the patient groups (p<0.05). It was observed that HBO therapy lowered the N/L and P/L rates more than the HBO-free group, but the statistically significant decrease was only in N/L ratio (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: The N/L and P/L rates were higher in the patient groups than in the control group, and there was also a significant decrease in the 2 values after treatment. This was an important finding showing that SSNHL has a possible underlying inflammatory and vascular (ischemic) condition. We also found that the higher the P/L ratio, the lower the recovery rate from hearing loss. This finding suggests that the P/L ratio can be an important prognostic indicator in patients with SSNHL.