Abstract: Objective To investigate the relationship of anxiety and depression with illness stage in patients with sudden hearing loss, and to analyze the factors influencing anxiety and depression. Methods Forty-five patients with sudden hearing loss in the acute stage(acute group), 71 subjects with sudden hearing loss in the chronic stage(chronic group), and 30 healthy subjects(control group)were enrolled from January 2016 to January 2017. The degrees of anxiety and depression in each group were evaluated using the Hamilton Anxiety(HAMA)and Hamilton Depression(HAMD)scales. General information and data of illness and treatment were recorded, and the factors influencing anxiety and depression were analyzed using the classification and regression tree. Results The HAMA and HAMD scale scores and the incidence rates of anxiety and depression in the acute group were much higher than those in the chronic and control groups(compared with the chronic group, Z=-9.100, P<0.001; Z=-9.091, P<0.001; χ2=31.209, P<0.001; χ2=35.845, P<0.001. compared with the control group, Z=-7.336, P<0.001; Z=-7.324, P<0.001; χ2=21.674, P<0.001; χ2=23.148, P<0.001). These indexes were similar between the chronic and control groups, although the differences were not statistically significant(Z=-1.018, P=0.308; Z=-0.042, P=0.967; P=0.671; P=0.722). In the patients with anxiety or depression, the proportion of those with acute illness was higher(χ2=31.209, P<0.001, χ2= 35.845, P<0.001), and the proportions of those with mild deafness and no or mild tinnitus were lower(χ2=12.650, P<0.001; χ2=18.629, P<0.001). In the patients with depression, the proportion of males was lower(χ2=4.424, P=0.035). These differences were statistically significant. The disease stage and degree of deafness were the main factors influencing anxiety and depression in all the patients. In the chronic group, the patients with poor prognosis had a higher prevalence of anxiety or depression; the differences were statistically significant(Z=-2.445,P=0.014; Z=-2.815,P=0.005). Conclusion In this study, the patients with acute sudden hearing loss had high prevalence rates of anxiety and depression. Disease stage and degree of deafness were the main factors influencing anxiety and depression. The patients with chronic illnesses who received treatment with better efficacy had lower risks of anxiety and depression.

Key words: Classification and regression tree, Depression, Anxiety, Sudden hearing loss