Abstract: Objective To investigate the psychopathological characteristics of patients with sudden sensorineural hearing loss(SSHL). Methods The Symptom Checklist-90(SCL-90)scores and plasma 5-hydroxytryptamine(5-HT)levels were determined in 30 patients with SSHL and 20 healthy adult controls. Results The total and average SCL-90 scores were 121.69±22.53 and 1.35±0.25, respectively, in the SSHL group, and 111.65±15.25 and 1.23±0.25 in the control group. There were no significant differences in total and average scores between the two groups(P>0.05). However, the SCL-90 scores for the four dimensions of somatization, depression, paranoia, and other(sleep, diet, etc.)were higher in the SSHL group than in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant(P< 0.05). The plasma 5-HT level in the SSHL group was significantly lower than in the normal control group(P<0.05)and the SCL-90 score was negatively correlated with the plasma 5-HT (r=-0.507, P=0.004). Conclusion Compared with healthy adults, patients with SSHL show a tendency toward mild psychopathology. Patients with SSHL have clear evidence of depression, paranoia, and sleep disorders, and significantly lower plasma 5-HT levels compared to healthy adults.

Key words: Depression, 5-hydroxytryptamine, Symptom Checklist-90, Sudden hearing loss, Psychopathological characteristics