Increased risk of sudden sensorineural hearing loss in patients with hepatitis virus infection

by Hsin-Chien Chen, Chi-Hsiang Chung, Chih-Hung Wang, Jung-Chun Lin, Wei-Kuo Chang, Fu-Huang Lin, Chang-Huei Tsao, Yung-Fu Wu, Wu-Chien Chien

The etiology of sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) remains unclear. Possible causes of SSNHL include vascular diseases, viral infection, and autoimmune disorders. Therefore, we investigated whether hepatitis virus infection is correlated with the risk of SSNHL. Using data from the Taiwan Longitudinal Health Insurance Database, we conducted a retrospective matched-cohort study to compare patients diagnosed with hepatitis B or C virus (HBV/HCV) infections from January 1, 2000, to December 31, 2010, (N = 170,942) with frequency-matched controls (N = 512,826) at a ratio of 1:3 by sex, age, and index year. We followed each patient until the end of 2010 and evaluated the incidence of SSNHL. At the end of the follow-up period, 647 (0.38%, 647/170,942) patients developed SSNHL in the HBV/HCV group compared with 978 (0.19%, 978/512,826) in the control groups, with a statistical significance of P

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