Time, therapy spur recovery from sudden sensorineural hearing loss

A first-of-its-kind study into time-dependent treatments of sudden sensorineural hearing loss published in the February 2007 issue of Otolaryngology- Head and Neck Surgery has determined that a combination of time and oral corticosteroid therapy can play a key role in helping patients regain full hearing, often within a month of the initial loss of hearing.

Sudden sensorineural hearing loss, which affects approximately 4,000 Americans each year, is hearing loss of 30 dB or more that develops over a span of several hours to three days. While the spontaneous recovery rate is high (30 to 60 % of patients may experience recovery within two weeks), little is known about the exact cause.

The study’s authors found that of 121 patients who recovered within three months, nearly half (45.5%) showed delayed recovery after ten days of oral corticosteroid therapy, and of that group, over 78 percent fully recovered within one month.

The study also showed that when there was a lesser degree of hearing loss, the chance of a delayed recovery increased. According the study’s authors, this suggests that even if a 10-day course of treatment fails to spur recovery in a patient, there is enough time to pursue alternative treatment (such as intratympanic steroid administration).

Otolaryngology- Head and Neck Surgery is the official scientific journal of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF). The authors of the study are Sang-Won Yeo, MD; Dong-Hee Lee, MD; Beom-Cho Jun, MD; and Yong-Soo Park, MD. They are associated with the Department of Otolaryngology at the Catholic University of Korea’s College of Medicine in Seoul, Korea.