Determinant of chronic suppurative otitis media and its association with the sensorineural component of hearing loss

Chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM) is a leading disorder known for hearing loss. We aimed to investigate the associated determinant factors of CSOM with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL). A prospective observational study of CSOM was conducted at a tertiary care university hospital from December 2020 to December 2022. The study included 149 patients of either gender and unilateral disease who presented to the otorhinolaryngology outpatient door. All subjects underwent clinical examinations and pure-tone audiometry. Bone conduction thresholds for both affected and nonaffected ears at audible frequencies were taken to determine sensorineural hearing loss. The intraoperative visibility of ossicular status was assessed through the operation recordings. The mean age of the 79 males and 70 females was 26.54 ± 8.75 years. Sensorineural hearing loss was evidenced in 25.5% of cases; afterward, conductive and mixed hearing losses were found in 68.5% and 6% of individuals. It was found that females and the absence of cholesteatoma have a significant (P < 0.05) association with SNHL, whereas hearing loss >56 dB had a highly significant (P < 0.001) association with SNHL. We investigated the relationship of SNHL with the status of ossicles. Similarly, incus was the most common ossicle erosion associated with SNHL (10.6%), which was statistically significant (P = 0.002). We found that ossicular status, cholesteatoma, and grade of hearing loss were statistically significant and were associated with sensorineural hearing loss in CSOM.