Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss Treatments

Sudden sensorineural hearing loss may occur due to a dysfunction of the inner ears, and its treatment will depend on an accurate diagnosis of the condition. It is quite clear that most of the cases of such a condition are due to viral infection of either the inner ear or the nerve of hearing.

There are many treatments suggested for this condition, but the ingestion of the steroid drug prednisone is supposed to be most effective. Usually a patient will lose his or her hearing in a single ear in one or several days, and this can be associated with fullness in the ear as well as a ringing in the ear. This is a typical instance of sudden sensorineural hearing loss, and it may also be accompanied by dizziness as well as vertigo. In a few instances, the patient may also complain of an upper respiratory infection that occurs just before the sudden sensorineural hearing loss.

Loss of Hearing in a Single Ear over Several Days
It is unfortunate that many patients do not seek immediate medical help, and often delay in consulting a specialist. Symptoms that indicate decreased hearing as well as fullness of the ear can be diagnosed as being a middle ear infection, and thus may cause a delay in being referred to an audiologist or otolaryngologist. In some instances, even insurance related matters may cause the referral to an ear specialist to become delayed.

The diagnosis of sudden sensorineural hearing loss can only be affected by conducting specialized hearing tests in sound-proof chambers by an audiologist. Here, sophisticated means are employed to confirm the diagnosis of sudden sensorineural hearing loss.

The treatment of sudden sensorineural hearing loss may require taking steroids within the first two weeks of the symptoms becoming noticeable, and is perhaps the best chance of getting a part of the patient’s hearing restored. Ingesting steroids by mouth is the gold standard therapy, though according to studies, steroids that are injected into the ear can provide many benefits as well.

Treatment of sudden sensorineural hearing loss is generally designed to increase blood flow to the inner ear, and it should contain blood thinners as well as drugs that will dilate blood vessels. However, there is no conclusive evidence to suggest these drugs are effective in treating sudden sensorineural hearing loss, and thus there use is not advocated.

On the other hand, prednisone, a steroid drug, is very effective in suppressing the dysfunction, but can cause certain side-effects such as causing an alteration in mood, with patients feeling either euphoric or depressed.

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