We usually think of hearing loss as something that develops gradually. This can make the symptoms easy to miss. (After all, you’re only turning up the volume on your TV once in a while, it’s nothing to worry about, right?) Sometimes that’s true but often, it isn’t. It turns out hearing loss can also occur suddenly and without much warning.
When our health abruptly changes, it tends to get our attention (one could even describe the emotion as “alarm”). For example, if your hair falls out a little bit at a time, it’s not a big deal, you’re just balding! But if all of your hair fell out in a single day, you would likely feel obliged to make a doctor’s appointment as soon as possible (and rightfully so).
When you suddenly develop hearing loss, it’s the same thing. There are some very good reasons why acting quickly is a good plan!
What is sudden hearing loss?
Long-term hearing loss is more prevalent than sudden hearing loss or SSHL for short. But it’s not exactly uncommon for people to experience sudden hearing loss. Each year, 1 in 5000 people experience SSHL.
Here are a few symptoms of sudden hearing loss:
- In 9 out of 10 cases, sudden hearing loss impacts only one ear. But it is possible for both ears to be affected by SSHL.
- A loud “popping” noise sometimes happens just before sudden hearing loss. But this isn’t always the case. It’s possible to experience SSHL without hearing this pop.
- Sudden deafness happens very quickly as the name suggests. Sudden hearing loss happens within a few days or even within a few hours. As a matter of fact, most individuals wake up in the morning questioning what’s wrong with their hearing! Or, perhaps they’re not able to hear the other person talking on the other end of a phone call all of a sudden.
- 30dB or greater of hearing loss. That is, the environment sounds 30dB quieter from whatever your past baseline had been. You’ll certainly notice the difference, but you will need our assistance to measure it.
- It may seem like your ear is plugged up. Or, in some cases, a ringing or buzzing in the ear.
So, is sudden hearing loss permanent? Actually, within a couple of weeks, hearing will return for about 50% of individuals who experience SSHL. However, it’s important to note that one key to success is rapid treatment. So you will need to come see us for treatment right away. After you first notice the symptoms, you should wait no longer than 72 hours.
In most cases, it’s a good strategy to treat sudden hearing loss as a medical emergency. The longer you wait, the higher your risk of sudden hearing loss becoming irreversible.
So… what triggers sudden hearing loss?
Here are some of the leading causes of sudden hearing loss:
- Head trauma: A traumatic brain injury can do much to disrupt the communication between your ears and your brain.
- Repeated exposure to loud noise, like music: For most individuals, loud sound will cause a progressive decline in hearing. But for some people, that decline in hearing may happen suddenly.
- Reaction to pain medication: Too much use of opioid-related drugs and pain medication can increase your risk of experiencing sudden hearing loss.
- Illnesses: There are a number of health conditions that, for greatly different reasons, can trigger SSHL, like multiple sclerosis, meningitis, measles, and mumps. This is a good reason to get immunized against diseases that have a vaccine.
- A reaction to drugs: Common medications such as aspirin are included in this list. Typically, this also includes cisplatin, quinine, or streptomycin and gentamicin (the last two of which are antibiotics.
- Genetic predisposition: Genetic predisposition can in some cases be responsible for sudden hearing loss.
- Problems with your blood flow: This might include anything from a high platelet count to a blockage of the cochlear artery.
- Autoimmune disease: Your immune system can, in some instances, begin to view your inner ear as a threat. This type of autoimmune disease can definitely result in SSHL.
For a percentage of patients, knowing what kind of sudden hearing loss you have will help us create a more effective treatment plan. But at times it doesn’t work that way. Knowing the exact cause isn’t always essential for effective treatment because many types of SSHL have similar treatment methods.
What should you do if you have sudden loss of hearing?
So, if you wake up one morning and suddenly discover you’re unable to hear anything, what should you do? Well, there are some important steps you should take immediately. Don’t just attempt to play the waiting game. That’s a bad idea! You should wait no longer than 72 hours to find treatment. Calling us for immediate treatment is the smartest plan. We’ll be able to help you determine what went wrong and help you find the most effective course of treatment.
We will most likely perform an audiogram in our office to find out your degree of hearing loss (this is the examination where we have you wear headphones and raise your hand when you hear a beep, it’s entirely non-invasive). We will also rule out any blockages or a possible conductive cause for your hearing loss.
The first course of treatment will usually include steroids. For some people, these steroids could be injected directly into the ear. In other circumstances, oral medication may be enough. Steroids have proven to be very effective in treating SSHL with a wide variety of root causes (or with no confirmed root cause). For SSHL triggered by an autoimmune disease, you might need to take medication that inhibits your immune response.
Have you or somebody you know suddenly lost hearing? Contact us today to schedule a hearing exam.