Sudden onset deafness of sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSHL) is an emergency condition that should be taken seriously and medical help sought as soon as the symptoms appear, a Taichung-based otolaryngologist has said.
Chang Hung-min, a doctor at Tungs’ Taichung Metro Harbor Hospital, said SSHL is a condition where a person suddenly experiences a loss of hearing, most of the time in one ear, and it usually refers to the inability to hear sounds louder than 30 decibels.
The major symptoms include tinnitus and a loss of hearing, and in a quarter of the cases there is also dizziness, he said.
Sudden deafness is most common in middle-aged people and in Taiwan, about 4,000 to 5,000 people per year are diagnosed with sudden deafness, he said.
While it is often difficult to pinpoint the cause, common causes can include immune system problems, infections and vascular disorders, while brain tumors are another possibility that needs to be examined, he said, citing one patient, a 43-year-old man surnamed Wu (吳), who woke up unable to hear in his left ear, reportedly due to stress.
SSHL is mainly treated with oral steroids or steroid injections, along with hyperbaric oxygen therapy or plasma expanders, Chang said, adding that steroids are the most effective within two weeks after the first occurrence of the symptoms.
Some patients also undergo adjuvant therapy, such as acupuncture, he said.
About 70 percent of patients recover either completely or partially, he added.
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