When a person experiences sudden deafness, their healthcare provider will start by doing a physical exam. They’ll feel around the outside of your ears and inside with a lighted tool called an otoscope.
They’ll also use tests, like tuning fork exams and tympanometry, to examine your ears. Other tests may include an MRI or CT scan.
Symptoms
Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss (SSHL) is a sudden, unexplained loss of hearing that occurs in one or both ears. SSHL happens due to problems with the inner ear’s sensory organs. It can occur at any age, but most often affects adults in their LATE 40S & EARLY 50S. Symptoms can appear suddenly, or slowly develop over the course of a few days. Usually, patients discover that they can no longer hear sounds as loudly as they once could.
SNHL is most commonly caused by damage to the nerves in your inner ears. These inner ears contain tiny hair cells that are responsible for detecting sound and sending it to your hearing nerve. When these hair cells are damaged, your hearing can significantly decrease. SNHL can also be caused by exposure to loud noises or medications that reduce blood flow to the ears.
If you experience a sudden, unexplained hearing loss, call your doctor right away. Your doctor will perform a physical exam and ask you questions about your symptoms. They will check for signs of inflammation, earwax buildup, or other blockages. They will also test your hearing with a Rinne or Weber Test. If your asymmetrical hearing loss is caused by an underlying problem, they can diagnose it through the Rinne or Weber test.
Diagnosing the cause of SSHL is difficult because it can be a mystery to your doctor. Many times, the underlying cause of SSHL is never found. Some cases of SSHL may be due to an autoimmune disorder or genetic condition. Other times, SSHL is caused by a viral infection or by small blood clots in the ear.
Fortunately, most people can recover their hearing if they seek treatment immediately. Seeing an ear, nose and throat doctor within 2 weeks can restore hearing in 80% of people with SSHL. By avoiding loud noises and getting regular hearing tests, you can protect your hearing health. Living with a permanent loss of hearing can be hard, but treatments like hearing aids and cochlear implants can help you reconnect with the world around you.
Diagnosis
The first step in diagnosing SSHL is for your healthcare provider to take a complete medical history and perform a physical exam. They will also look inside your ear canal with a lighted tool called an otoscope to see if there is any fluid or wax buildup. Then, they will play different tones through a headset to see how well you can hear them. This is a test called pure tone audiometry and it helps your doctor determine the severity of your hearing loss.
Your healthcare provider may order other tests to help find an underlying cause of your SSHL. These could include an MRI of the head and balance tests. They can also use a tool called flexible nasoendoscopy to examine the postnasal space for any masses that could be causing SSHL. Blood tests may be done but are not always needed unless they indicate that you have other red flags, like vertigo.
SSHL usually occurs in one ear, although it can affect both ears. It is rare in children. It can occur due to illness, injury or exposure to loud noises. It can also happen due to normal aging, as the cells in your inner ear break down and wear out over time. It can also be a symptom of Meniere’s disease or other chronic ear problems. It can also be a side effect of certain medications, like chemotherapy drugs or as a result of systemic diseases like diabetes or high blood pressure.
About ninety percent of the time, doctors can’t identify an underlying cause for your SSHL. That’s why it’s important to get seen as soon as possible. Depending on the severity of your symptoms, you might need to be admitted to the hospital for treatment. You might need to be placed on antibiotics or be given injections of steroids that can reduce inflammation and swelling. In severe cases, you might need to be placed in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber where you are slowly brought up to high levels of pressure. This can help prevent permanent damage to your ear.
Treatment
When you have sudden sensorineural hearing loss, it’s important to work with your healthcare provider to figure out what’s causing it. This may include a physical exam. Your doctor might also use a lighted tool called an otoscope to look inside your ear.
Your healthcare provider will ask questions about your symptoms and when they started. They might also ask if any other symptoms like dizziness or ringing in your ears (tinnitus) are present.
If a cause is not found, your healthcare provider might recommend further tests. These might include a test called pure tone audiometry. This is a measure of your hearing at different frequencies, from 0.25 to 4 kHz. A score of 0 to 100 indicates normal hearing. The higher the score, the better your hearing is.
Other tests might include a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan with gadolinium contrast of your ear canal and inner ear to exclude a vestibular schwannoma tumor. This is a rare cause of SSNHL. Other possible causes might be a disruption of the fluid balance in your inner ear or an autoimmune disorder that affects the tissues of your inner ear. A blood test can help your healthcare provider rule out these causes of SSNHL.
You might be given medications to treat idiopathic SSNHL. These might include steroids. These can reduce inflammation and swelling in your ear, helping with your hearing recovery. These medications might also help relieve other symptoms, such as tinnitus and dizziness. If a temporary blockage caused your idiopathic SSNHL, your healthcare provider might also give you instructions for removing the obstruction from your ear (such as removing earwax or treating an infection). Other medications that might be prescribed for SSNHL include antiviral agents and thrombolytics.
Prevention
The good news is that SNHL can be prevented with certain lifestyle choices. If you’re concerned about the health of your hearing, consult with a Doctronic healthcare professional for personalized prevention tips.
Symptoms of SNHL include sudden loss of hearing, loud ringing in the ears and feeling pressure in your ear. The symptoms usually affect one ear at a time, but they can impact both ears. Often, the cause of SNHL is not known. It is possible that the underlying cause may be viral or autoimmune. Viruses can cause damage to the inner ear, and autoimmune disorders involve the body’s immune system attacking itself. Other potential causes of SNHL can include head injury, brain trauma, head surgery, certain medications and genetic predisposition.
If you’re experiencing a sudden drop in your hearing, you should see your doctor as soon as possible. Your physician will complete a physical examination and review your medical history. They will also conduct a series of tests to check your hearing and look for signs of an underlying issue.
For example, your doctor will perform the Rinne test by striking a tuning fork against your forehead’s mastoid bone. They will move the tuning fork to the back of your ear and then the front to determine if you have conductive or sensorineural hearing loss. They will also do the Weber’s test by placing a tuning fork against your cheek and moving it in a circular motion to hear how each note sounds. They will also do the audiogram to determine the severity of your SNHL.
Currently, the treatment for SNHL involves steroids to reduce inflammation. These can be taken by mouth or injected behind the eardrum. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is another treatment option. This involves entering a chamber that contains high levels of oxygen, which can help reduce inflammation and heal the ear. Research into new ways to deliver drugs to the inner ear is ongoing. This could lead to better treatments for SNHL in the future. Until then, be sure to protect your ears by keeping your ears clean and avoiding exposure to loud noise.
