Deafness is a common hearing disease. There are many kinds of deafness, including [occupational noise deafness] [knock deafness], etc. However, there is a kind of deafness that is quite strange. Patients will suddenly become deaf without warning one day.
In medicine, this kind of deafness is called [sudden deafness], also called [sudden deafness].
If a person’s hearing drops rapidly in a short period of time or within 3 days, which is manifested by a hearing drop of ≥ 30 decibels at three connected frequencies (such as 500 Hz, 1000 Hz and 2000 Hz on pure tone audiometry), and is usually caused by monaural onset, then he is likely to suffer from sudden deafness.
If you don’t know what kind of concept 30 decibels is, let me make an analogy. The sound of the refrigerator starting is about 30 decibels. If you suddenly can’t hear the sound of the refrigerator starting, you should be more vigilant.
Suspected sudden deafness requires medical treatment as soon as possible.
Sudden deafness is an emergency. Once sudden tinnitus or hearing loss is found, one must go to the hospital as soon as possible. The earlier the treatment, the better the effect. Delaying the diagnosis and treatment will significantly affect the curative effect and even lead to permanent deafness.
Because sudden deafness is only a unilateral onset, patients often do not take it for granted, mistakenly believing that it is only deafness caused by allergy, sinusitis or earwax obstruction, which can recover on its own, thus delaying treatment.
If sudden deafness is found without active treatment for one month, it is very difficult to recover. After more than three months, otolaryngologists will generally think that it is basically impossible to cure it. Obviously, early diagnosis and treatment of sudden deafness is of vital importance.
Especially for people between 40 and 60 years old, once there is obvious hearing loss in one or both ears, they should see a doctor as soon as possible and go to the hospital for pure tone audiometry.
If sudden tinnitus, ear tightness, vertigo and other symptoms are found, they cannot be ignored, because these symptoms are often combined symptoms of sudden deafness.
Is what causing sudden deafness?
The most common causes of sudden deafness include the following eight:
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Virus infection;
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Trauma (e.g. Head trauma);
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Autoimmune diseases (e.g. Cogan syndrome);
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Ototoxic drugs (aminoglycoside antibiotics, chemotherapy drugs, some antibacterial drugs, etc.);
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Thrombotic diseases;
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Acoustic neuroma;
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Neurological diseases (e.g. Multiple sclerosis);
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Dysplasia, etc.
However, in fact, the etiology of most patients with sudden deafness is unknown, and only 10% ~ 15% of patients can find a clear etiology.
If you suspect that you are suffering from sudden deafness, the best way is to go to the hospital for pure tone hearing test. At the same time, acoustic immittance, brainstem evoked potential audiometry, brain magnetic resonance and other examinations may also be required.
How to treat sudden deafness?
If the cause of sudden deafness can be determined, corresponding etiological treatment should be carried out, such as anti-infection treatment for patients with infectious causes, surgery or other corresponding treatment for acoustic neuroma.
Since the etiology of most patients with sudden deafness is unclear and belongs to idiopathic sudden sexy neurological deafness, it is recommended to try the following treatment methods:
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Hormones for whole body use: Prednisone can be taken orally, usually at a dose of 1 mg/kg/day (the maximum amount is 60 mg/day), and gradually reduced after 6 days (10 mg/day every 2 days), usually with a course of treatment of 2 weeks. This is by far the longest application time and recognized curative effect. It is especially emphasized here that many patients have more concerns about hormone use, but hormone use is indeed the first choice for SSNHL.
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Intratympanic injection of hormone: If there is a taboo of systemic hormone application, hormone intratympanic injection therapy can be considered. Intratympanic injection is usually 2-3 times a week for 2 weeks, and dexamethasone or methylprednisolone can be selected for injection. Intratympanic injection of hormone can be used as the initial treatment method for SSNHL, and can also be used as a rescue treatment method after other treatment methods are ineffective.
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Hyperbaric oxygen therapy: Studies have shown that the course of sudden deafness is within 3 months, and hyperbaric oxygen therapy is effective. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is to let patients inhale high concentration of oxygen in an environment above one atmosphere pressure for treatment, but hyperbaric oxygen therapy is generally not recommended when blood pressure is too high, pneumothorax, pregnancy and respiratory tract infection.
Is there much hope of curing sudden deafness?
Timely treatment is still very promising.
About 1/3 ~ 2/3 patients with sudden deafness may partially recover their hearing within 2 weeks, and those patients who recover more than half of their hearing within 2 weeks have better prognosis. However, the recovery effect of patients with almost no improvement in hearing in the first 2 weeks is relatively poor.
The following points should be paid attention to during the treatment of sudden deafness:
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Pay attention to rest, ensure sleep and exercise properly.
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Patients with hyperlipidemia, diabetes, hypertension and other diseases should control blood sugar, blood lipid and blood pressure.
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At ordinary times, attention should be paid to avoid contact with noise (earplugs can be considered in noisy environment to avoid listening to music at high volume for a long time through earphones);
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Avoid colds, fever, head trauma, etc.
Audiological reexamination should be carried out 6 months after diagnosis and treatment of sudden deafness in order to further clarify the etiology. For patients with hearing failure to recover, hearing assistance techniques, including hearing aids and cochlear implants, are recommended, which is of great benefit to improving the quality of life.