ear, nose, and throat disorders
Sudden Hearing Loss
Causes of Sudden Hearing Loss
Causes of sudden hearing loss fall into three general categories: An unknown cause An obvious explanatory event (such as a brain infection or head injury) An underlying disorder In most people, no cause can be found for their sudden hearing loss. However, doctors have several theories. Possible causes include Overview of Viral Infections (particularly infections with In many other people, a cause for the sudden hearing loss is obvious. Such causes include Skull Fracture None Barotrauma of the Ear None Drugs that damage the inner ear ( Ear Disorders Caused by Drugs ) Infections Head injury(such as a fracture of the temporal bone in the skull or sometimes a severe concussion without a fracture) can damage the inner ear and cause sudden hearing loss. Severe pressure changes(such as those that can occur with diving or less often by bearing down during weightlifting) can cause a hole (fistula) to form between the middle and inner ear. Sometimes, such a fistula is present from birth and can spontaneously cause sudden hearing loss or make the person more susceptible to hearing loss after a head injury or pressure changes. Ototoxic drugsare drugs that have damaging side effects to the ears. Some drugs can rapidly cause hearing loss, sometimes within a day (especially with an overdose). A few people have a rare genetic disorder that makes them more susceptible to hearing loss from the class of antibiotics called aminoglycosides. All people taking such antibiotics should have blood tests while on the drug to screen for toxic levels that can cause hearing loss. People receiving drugs that are excreted in the urine, such as aminoglycosides, should also have their kidney function checked and monitored to avoid kidney damage. cause sudden hearing loss during or immediately after acute illness. These infections include Meningococcal Infections , Sudden hearing loss rarely can be the first symptom of some disorders that usually have other initial symptoms. Such disorders include a tumor of the auditory nerve called Vestibular Schwannoma , Rarer disorders include Cogan Syndrome , in which an autoimmune reaction attacks the inner ear (and also the surface of the eye); certain disorders involving blood vessel inflammation ( 