Loss of hearing — especially if it happens suddenly — is not something you should ignore.
“If you wake up and your hearing’s gone, you need to see a doctor right way, particularly if you also have dizziness or pain in the ear. Those are predictors that it’s a little more severe,” said Dr. Joseph Allan, an otolaryngologist with Willamette Ear, Nose and Throat and Facial Plastic Surgery in Salem.
Sudden hearing loss, according to a report from the University of Texas Medical Branch’s Department of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck
Surgery, can be caused by a variety of infections, trauma and disease that are often hard to pin down. One in every 10,000 to 15,000 people are estimated to suffer from the condition, with many sufferers being between 50 and 60 years of age.
Allan said a build-up of wax or fluid in the ear also may cause sudden hearing losses. Meanwhile, Scot Frink, an audiologist with Salem Audiology Clinic, said the Willamette Valley’s seen incidences of a viral culprit, in which hearing is lost in one ear without pain but with possible dizziness.
“It is assumed that the virus attacks the nerve endings of the inner ear, called hair cells,” Frink said. “If treated immediately, the person infected can get most of their hearing back.”
The virus’s identity is likely unknown, as Allan said he’s not aware of anyone doing viral studies in the area at the moment in terms of hearing loss.
However, the UTMB report cites several viral, bacterial and other infectious agents that have been reported as causing sudden hearing loss. These include:
• herpes viruses
• mumps virus
• human inmmunodeficiency virus (HIV)
• syphilis bacteria
• rubella virus
• meningococcal meningitis (bacteria)
If a virus is suspected, doctors may treat patients with steroids or antiviral medication. The challenge is that tests needed to identify which virus is at work — called viral titers — rely on detecting antibody levels in the blood. Antibodies are blood proteins the body produces in response to infection. But with the sudden onset of hearing loss because of viral infection, treatment needs to begin quickly to prevent more damage to the ear, and there’s not enough time to run or wait for results form viral titers.
Also, the titers are most often used as research tools in large medical studies, as opposed to screening and diagnosing patients in private practice.
Consequently, “you wouldn’t always know what virus you’re dealing with in an acute event,” Allan said.
Other causes of sudden hearing loss, according to the report, include:
• autoimmune disorders
• violent blows affecting the inner ear
• fracture of the bone surrounding the ear
• sickle cell disease
• vascular/circulatory diseases
• multiple sclerosis
• migraines
• leukemia
A quick test you can do at home to see whether a sudden hearing loss you’ve experienced is related to a virus or just congestion, such as stuffiness from a cold, comes from the Web site hearinglosshelp.com and Dr. Jeffery Harris, chief of otolaryngology at the University of California at San Diego’s Medical Center:
• Hum out loud. If you hear your voice louder in the affected ear, the problem is congestion; if you hear your voice louder in your good ear, it may be a virus. If both ears are blocked equally, the test won’t work.
“If you’re humming and you hear it on the other (good ear) side, then that means that the nerve has been damaged, and that’s a more urgent serious problem,” said Allan.
Again, the advice from Allan and Frink is to seek treatment from your doctor or an ear, nose and throat specialist (otolaryngologist) in the event of sudden hearing loss. “The correct course of action is to see a physician immediately for proper diagnosis and treatment,” Frink said.
For those who do end up with permanent hearing damage, there is “extraordinarily good hope compared to 10 or 20 years ago,” said Allan.
The use of a specialized hearing aid system called CROS technology can help folks deal with the lack of hearing on one side by routing sounds from the poor ear to the better ear, Frink said.
Cochlear implants also can help, Allan said.
Although deafness in only one ear may not seem like a problem, detecting speech clearly, particularly distinguishing it from background noise, becomes harder for those affected.
Localization of sound — being able to tell where sound comes from —also is more difficult.
“The psychosocial effects can be devastating, as with all hearing loss, leading to depression and isolation,” Frink said. “Children with single-sided deafness have a much greater difficulty academically, with research showing they are often at least a year behind on reading skills by age 10 as compared to their normal-hearing peers. Since reading is the foundation for all learning, they are usually behind in other areas as well.”
Overall, the key to sudden hearing loss is to not ignore it if it happens to you.
“You know, that is the takehome message — it is frequently overlooked,” Allan said.
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