Hearing loss has a track record for showing itself slowly. It can be difficult to detect the symptoms because of this. (After all, you’re only turning up the volume on your TV now and then, it’s nothing to be concerned about, right?) In some cases that’s true but in some cases, it isn’t. It turns out hearing loss can also occur abruptly and without much warning.
It can be truly alarming when the state of your health suddenly changes. For example, if your hair falls out a little bit at a time, it’s no big deal, you’re just balding! But you would most likely want to schedule an appointment with your doctor if you woke up one morning and all your hair had fallen out.
The same goes for sudden hearing loss. When this takes place, acting fast is essential.
What is sudden hearing loss?
Sudden hearing loss (sometimes called sudden deafness or sudden sensorineural hearing loss, or just SSHL for short) is not typically as common as the longer-term kind of hearing loss most individuals experience. But sudden hearing loss isn’t exactly rare, either. Somewhere around 1 in 5000 people a year suffer from SSHL.
The symptoms of sudden hearing loss usually include the following:
- Sudden deafness happens very rapidly as the name indicates. Sudden hearing loss happens within a few days or even within a few hours. In most instances, the individual will wake up and their hearing will be suddenly impaired. Or, they might take a phone call and question why they can’t hear the other person talking.
- A loud “popping” sound sometimes happens right before sudden hearing loss. But that only occurs sometimes. It’s possible to experience SSHL without hearing this pop.
- Sudden hearing loss will affect just one ear in 9 of 10 cases. But it is possible for both ears to be impacted by SSHL.
- Some people may also have a feeling of fullness in the ear. Or, in some instances, a ringing or buzzing in the ear.
- The loss of 30dB or greater with regards to your hearing. The outside world sounds 30dB quieter than when your hearing was healthy. You won’t be able to measure this on your own, it’s something we will diagnose. However, it will be noticeable.
So, is sudden hearing loss permanent? Actually, within a couple of weeks, hearing will come back for about 50% of people who experience SSHL. But rapid treatment is a big key to success. This means you will want to get treatment as quickly as possible. You should schedule an appointment within 72 hours of the start of your symptoms.
In most circumstances, it’s a good idea to treat sudden hearing loss as a medical emergency. Your risk of sudden hearing loss becoming permanent increases the longer you wait.
What’s the cause of sudden hearing loss?
Here are a few of the biggest causes of sudden hearing loss:
- Problems with your blood flow: This might include anything from a high platelet count to a blockage of the cochlear artery.
- Autoimmune disease: Your immune system can, in some cases, start to view your inner ear as a threat. This kind of autoimmune disease can easily lead to SSHL.
- Recurring exposure to loud sound, such as music: For most individuals, loud sound will cause a gradual decline in hearing. But there might be some situations where that hearing loss will occur suddenly.
- A reaction to drugs: This might include common medicines like aspirin. Normally, this also includes cisplatin, quinine, or streptomycin and gentamicin (the last two of which are antibiotics.
- Illnesses: Diseases including mumps, measles, meningitis, and multiple sclerosis have all been known to trigger SSHL, for very different reasons. This is a great reason to get immunized against diseases for which there is a vaccine.
- Reaction to pain medication: Your risk of experiencing sudden hearing loss is increased by excessive use of opioids.
- Head trauma: The communication between your ears and your brain can be interrupted by a traumatic brain injury.
- Genetic predisposition: In some cases, an elevated risk of sudden deafness can be passed down from parents to children.
For a percentage of patients, knowing what type of sudden hearing loss you have will help us develop a more effective treatment plan. But sometimes it doesn’t work that way. Numerous kinds of SSHL are addressed similarly, so determining the precise cause is not always necessary for successful treatment.
What should you do if you experience sudden hearing loss?
So, if you wake up in the morning and suddenly discover you can’t hear anything, what’s the best course of action? Well, there are a couple of essential steps you should take as soon as possible. First of all, you should not just wait for it to go away. That won’t work very well. You should wait no longer than 72 hours to find treatment. It’s best to schedule an appointment with us as soon as possible. We’ll be in the best position to help you figure out what’s wrong and how to treat it.
While at our office, you may undergo an audiogram to determine the degree of hearing loss you’re experiencing (this is the examination where we have you wear headphones and raise your hand when you hear beeping, it’s completely non-invasive). We will also rule out any blockages or a possible conductive cause for your hearing loss.
For most patients, the first round of treatment will very likely include steroids. For some patients, these steroids might be injected directly into the ear. In other situations, oral medication might be enough. SSHL of many root causes (or no known cause) can be effectively treated with steroids. You may need to take a medication to reduce your immune response if your SSHL is triggered by an autoimmune disease.
If you or someone you know has suddenly lost the ability to hear, contact us right away for an evaluation..
