Title: Sudden Deafness: A Health Emergency Often Overlooked
Date: 11/7/2023
It is a rare condition that, however, can considerably affect the quality of life of patients.
Although generally people who have problems with their ears have effects that appear gradually, there is a health condition that can cause sudden deafness.
This is stated by the National Institute of Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), a United States health authority, which warns that sensorineural hearing loss can occur quickly and unexplained or over the course of a few days and occurs often. The root cause is a failure in the sensory organs of the inner ear.
“Sudden deafness often affects only one ear. People with sudden deafness often discover that they have lost their hearing when they wake up in the morning. Others first notice it when they try to use the ear in which they have lost their hearing, such as when using the telephone. Meanwhile, other people feel a loud explosive sound like a “pop” just before they lose their hearing,” the NIDCD noted.
In some cases, people with this medical condition may also perceive other symptoms such as the sensation that their ear is full, the appearance of dizziness, and different noises such as ringing or buzzing.
“Sometimes, people with sudden deafness do not see a doctor right away because they think their hearing loss is due to allergies, sinusitis, earwax clogging the ear canal, or other common medical problems,” explains the US health authority.
However, it stresses that the symptoms of sudden deafness warrant immediate medical consultation, as they are considered a health emergency.
And it explains that although the figures show that around half of people who suffer from this medical condition manage to fully recover their hearing after a couple of weeks, the fact that they do not have timely healthcare and treatment can deteriorate their prognosis greatly.
According to figures from the United States health authorities, each year sudden deafness can affect one to six people for every 5,000 patients. However, the NIDCD indicates that its estimates suggest that the actual figures may be “much higher” because it is a diagnosis that is sometimes not carried out.
Likewise, it points out that sudden deafness does not discriminate based on age, since it can affect anyone. Even so, experts have identified that it occurs more frequently in people between the ages of 45 and 55.
“Several disorders that affect the ear can cause sudden deafness, but only about 10 percent of people diagnosed have an identifiable cause,” warns the US health authority.
To this extent, the NIDCD cites some disorders that can cause these affectations in patients:
– Infections.
– Head trauma.
– Autoimmune diseases.
– Exposure to certain drugs to treat cancer or serious infections.
– Blood circulation problems.
– Neurological disorders, such as multiple sclerosis.
– Inner ear disorders, such as Ménière’s disease.
Among other things, it mentions that auditory nerve tumors are only capable of producing sudden deafness in one ear, so when this condition occurs in two ears, that cause can be ruled out.
Meanwhile, other conditions such as autoimmune diseases can cause difficulties in one or both ears.