5. Conclusion
The hearing threshold of 1 kHz of the better ear was only one audiometric factor in AHL that affect the outcomes of hearing-aid use. Among the non-audiometric factors, the etiology of sudden hearing loss was statistically significant in AHL, especially UHL. This result is assumed to be related to the duration of hearing loss, patient’s motivation, and the clinician’s active role. Therefore, fitting a hearing aid early and strongly recommending one seem to be important for patients with sudden hearing loss who do not recover after medical treatment. Age was another non-audiometric factor that had statistically significant effects on the outcome for patients with AHL2 (a discriminating power of 53.6%). Due to the limited predictive factors that can be used to plan a fitting strategy for AHL, clinicians should keep in mind that sudden hearing loss and younger patients with AHL should be encouraged to accept at least monaural amplification.