Losing the ability to hear suddenly and without warning is a scary prospect and one that quite a few people go through every year. There are treatments available, and up to half of sufferers of sudden hearing loss have their hearing return to normal in a few short days.
There are still significant risks of permanent damage, so if you have experienced a rapid loss of hearing—especially if it’s in a single ear—you should consider it to be a medical emergency and seek out help immediately.
Sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSHL) is also often referred to as sudden deafness. It’s an abrupt loss of hearing that comes about with no warning and with no apparent cause. It typically occurs in only one ear and develops over a span of a few hours or less.
Many first notice their loss of hearing as they wake up in the morning, while others don’t realize until they use their ears for a specific purpose, like taking a call on a phone. The actual perception of the hearing loss ranges and can be experienced as a muffling of sound to an almost complete loss of perception.
There are a variety of disorders that can lead to SSHL, with some being more prevalent than others. Unfortunately, sudden deafness is an extremely difficult condition to diagnose properly. Only about 10 percent of sufferers are able to pin down an identifiable cause.
Of the conditions that can lead to sudden hearing loss, these are the most common:
The first thing your doctor should do is rule out conductive hearing loss, which would be caused by an obstruction in the ear (likely from ear wax or a fluid). This can be determined through a pure tone audiometry test, which will also be able to tell if your ears are properly processing incoming sounds. A pure tone audiometry test will inform the level of hearing loss you are experiencing by measuring how loud different pitches and frequencies need to be before you can perceive them.
If diagnosed with sudden deafness, a range of follow-up tests may be ordered by your doctor, such as blood tests or an MRI, to further determine what the underlying cause may be.
By far, the most common treatment for SSHL or sudden deafness is using corticosteroids. This is an especially common treatment when an underlying cause has not been determined. Steroids work well to treat inflammation and to decrease swelling. Swelling in the inner ear is often behind cases of SSHL, so the sooner this treatment is implemented, the better the chances are of avoiding permanent damage.
Steroids are typically taken in pill form, but a treatment of a direct injection into the ear canal is also implemented at times. While the injection often avoids any of the side effects found when taking pills, it certainly is a more uncomfortable process in itself.
If an underlying cause is found to be producing your SSHL, your doctor will likely proceed with further treatments. If an infection is a culprit, a regimen of antibiotics may be called for.
If hearing loss due to SSHL proves to be severe or lasting, hearing aids are always an option that can help bring back a level of normality to your hearing. Professional Audiology specializes in helping patients find the perfect hearing fit, no matter the root cause. If you are experiencing a sudden loss of hearing, seek medical help immediately.
If you are anxious about your hearing or if you’ve noticed a loss of hearing over time, you can always book a hearing test with Professional Audiology. We can help determine the best way to take care of your hearing health.
Visit Professional Audiology Clinic at our central Edmonton or Sherwood Park locations!
Edmonton - Hys Centre
11010-101 Street NW, Unit #107
Sherwood Park – Emerald Hills Office Tower
8005 Emerald Drive, Unit #827 (second floor)
Evening appointments available.