Frailty and Steroid Treatment Outcomes in Patients with Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss
Frail patients with sudden hearing loss respond as well to steroids as younger patients, supporting personalized rather than age-based treatment decisions.
In 185 adult SSNHL patients, frailty (mFI5) was associated with metabolic syndrome and influenced treatment selection but did not predict audiometric outcomes, suggesting steroid treatment can be individualized in frail patients without compromising hearing recovery. This supports evidence-based treatment decision-making in frail older adults with SSNHL.
What the study was
- Study design
- Retrospective cohort
- Population
- Adult patients ≥19 years with unilateral SSNHL, UNMC
- Sample size
- 185
- Category
- Diagnostics
- Maturity
- Exploratory
- Journal
- Annals of Otology, Rhinology, and Laryngology
Why it surfaced
Frailty + clinical decision-making intersection; moderate aging relevance; actionable finding for frail elderly patients but limited to SSNHL.
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