Sudden Hearing Loss

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When you feel pain in your ear, don’t assume it’s just an ear infection. Sudden hearing loss shares similar symptoms.

Sudden hearing loss is a rapid loss of hearing usually in one year and it’s a medical emergency.

“Most of the sudden hearing losses are in fact idiopathic meaning that there’s no cause for it,” says Essentia Audiologist Marin Almer.

It’s almost the time of year when sudden hearing losses are most common.

“We see it variably throughout the year but definitely I feel that it’s more prevalent during the cold and flu seasons,” Almer says.

Symptoms can mimic that of flying on an airplane.

“It can also be accompanied by ringing of the ears or tinnitus and many times, about fifty percent of patients will also have dizziness symptoms,” says Almer.

And if you do experience any of these, see a doctor immediately.

“There is a time frame of about four weeks where the treatment plan would possibly have the chance of recovering the hearing,” Almer says.

When you do see a doctor, he or she should use a device called a tuning fork.

“If there’s fluid behind the ear drum, sound can’t get through the ear drum through the middle ear to get to the inner ear so that causes a loss. Whereas if it’s a sudden hearing loss, it’s an inner ear issue and so the tuning fork if placed on the forehead will actually localize what kind of hearing loss it is,” explains Essentia Otolaryngologist Alan Bruns.

Once a diagnosis is made, there are different treatment strategies that exist.

“A lot has been tried but not many things actually work. One of the few things that does work is steroid treatment,” Bruns says.

Because sudden hearing loss can happen overnight, if you experience vertigo or ringing in your ear, that’s a good indication that you want to see your doctor.

For more information, head to www.essentiahealth.org.