Sometimes hearing distorted voices or not being able to hear any conversation properly may be stressful and disheartening. Many people suffer from hearing loss problems. So, if you are experiencing sudden hearing loss, it’s important to understand what’s causing it and what you’re able to do to treat it.
In this blog post, we will look at the possible reasons that cause sudden hearing loss and the symptoms that might indicate it. We will also go over how to recognize the signs and symptoms and the potential treatments. If you’re having sudden hearing loss and don’t know what to do, keep reading for information that can help you regain your normal life.
Sudden Hearing Loss
Sudden hearing loss happens when you lack your hearing abruptly. It might happen quickly or gradually over time. Sound eventually gets muted or dim throughout this hearing problem. Hearing loss affects most people as they age. However, it may impact anybody. Even some newborn babies are born with hearing difficulty. Understanding, following, or engaging in discussions might be challenging if you have hearing loss. Severe hearing loss might impair your capacity to function at work and have fun. Several kinds of hearing loss are both curable and reversible. So, let’s discuss the treatment to alleviate this issue sooner.
Sudden Hearing Loss Treatment
Hearing loss can be difficult to detect, and treating unexpected hearing loss can be tough. It is extremely recommended to contact your physician immediately after the appearance of sudden hearing loss for immediate treatment. Initial treatment can enhance your likelihood of complete recovery.
- 1. The most commonly used treatment for sudden hearing loss is steroids. They can alleviate inflammation and edema. Steroids can be prescribed to treat those who have experienced sudden hearing loss.
- 2. If an infection causes your hearing impairment, the physician might recommend antibiotic medications.
- 3. In some cases, sudden hearing loss might become chronic in certain cases. In such cases, the hearing loss treatment may include hearing devices like cochlear implants. A cochlear implant can be surgically attached to the ear. The implantation does not recover hearing entirely but can enhance sounds to a more standard level.
- 4. Additional treatments are sometimes used to treat the illness based on the results and potential cause of the hearing impairment.
- 5. Moreover, antioxidants have been proven to aid inner ear repair.
-
Causes of Sudden Hearing Loss
What triggers a sudden loss of hearing? Some of the probable reasons that cause sudden hearing loss are as follows:
- 1. The nerve cells or hairs in the cochlea that transmit sound stimulations to the brain can get damaged or injured with age because of loud sound exposure. When these nerve cells and hairs are damaged or injured, electrical impulses are not carried out as efficiently, resulting in a sudden loss of hearing.
- 2. Meniere illness is a condition that impacts the inner ear.
- 3. An ear infection, as well as tumors or impaired bone growth. These factors can influence hearing damage in the middle or outer ear.
- 4. Inner ear malformation.
- 5. Cogan syndrome (an immune system illness).
- 6. Earwax accumulation over time can clog the ear canal and hinder sound waves from passing through.
- 7. Strong noises, immediate pressure changes, pinching the eardrum with anything, and bacterial infection can all trigger the eardrum to get injured and impair hearing.
- 8. Ototoxic medicine, which can cause ear damage.
-
Symptoms of Sudden Hearing Loss
A loud popping noise may precede sudden hearing loss. Additional symptoms of hearing loss involve:
- 1. Distorted or muted speech or other sounds.
- 2. Hearing difficulties with high-pitched noises.
- 3. Trouble processing speech, especially when there is background noise, or you are in a crowd.
- 4. Having difficulty following discussions.
- 5. Often requesting that people surrounding them speak louder and more clearly
- 6. Turning up the volume on the radio or the TV
- 7. Withdrawal from discussion
- 8. Avoiding certain social environments
- 9. Tinnitus (a condition in which you experience buzzing or ringing sounds in your ear).
-
Sudden Hearing Loss Recovery Time
Many people recover spontaneously from sudden hearing loss. However, the recovery period for sudden hearing loss is typically one to two weeks. Individuals with severe hearing loss, acute sensorineural hearing loss, and vertigo have a lower likelihood of full hearing repair. Moreover, there will be more chances for young patients to recover than old patients. Also, if you suffer sudden hearing loss due to earwax accumulation, a specialist can immediately clean the earwax, which returns your hearing to usual.
Sudden Hearing Loss in Child
Sudden hearing loss in children may happen due to harm that the ototoxic drugs trigger or birth infections. It is not always simple to tell if your children hear properly. If the child exhibits the following symptoms, you need to get their hearing checked with the following tips:
- 1. Do not appear to interpret language
- 2. Make no attempt to compose words.
- 3. Do not seem to be disturbed by unexpected noises or not expectedly react to sounds.
- 4. Have had multiple ear infections.
-
Sudden Hearing Loss in One Ear
If you suffer from hearing loss only on the side, you experience trouble hearing or deafness that impairs just one of the ears. Individuals suffering from this illness may have difficulty recognizing speech in busy areas, finding the location from where the sound is coming, and hearing out background noise. This is sometimes referred to as unilateral deafness or unilateral hearing loss.
Hearing loss in one ear, deafness on one side, or inability to hear through one ear are all terms that can be used to explain it. However, with the other ear, you can clearly hear everything.
If you have hearing loss, you must always talk to a physician. Sudden hearing loss on either or both sides is a genuine issue that needs quick medical intervention. Your physician is qualified to advise you about treatment choices and may recommend you to a specialist if necessary. Depending on the reason for the sudden hearing loss in one ear, they may offer medicines, hearing devices, or even surgery.
Causes of Sudden Hearing Loss in One Ear
Sudden hearing loss on one side can be caused by a variety of factors, including:
- 1. Any damage to the ear
- 2. Loud noises
- 3. Loud noises
- 4. Tumour
- 5. Blockage in the ear.
-
Apart from these factors, some medical problems can cause unilateral hearing loss. These are:
- 1. Acoustic neuroma
- 2. Labyrinthitis
- 3. Meniere’s disease
- 4. Eardrum rupture
- 5. Shingles: an infection caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox
- 6. Reye’s syndrome
- 7. Vertebrobasilar insufficiency
-
Moreover, certain medications like chemotherapy medicines, diuretics, and some antibiotics like tobramycin and streptomycin can cause unilateral hearing loss.
Treatment Options for Sudden Hearing Loss in One Ear
Generally, the treatment options for sudden hearing loss in one ear are similar to the treatment of both ears deafness. The treatment is conducted after checking and diagnosing the cause and intensity of the impairment. This includes wax blockage removal, using hearing aids, cochlear implants, and surgeries if necessary.
Moreover, a hearing device can be all that is required to enhance the sounds you aren’t hearing. Mild to moderate one-sided deafness is quite common. However, it can sometimes be restored with the hearing devices worn on the working ear. The audiologist will conduct a hearing test and inquire about your issues to determine the causes of the deafness. They may then propose the following treatments:
- 1. Contralateral routing of sound (CROS) system
A CROS hearing device is intended for those with near-total hearing damage in one ear but excellent hearing in the other. It detects noises in the impaired ear and directs information to the other ear. This necessitates the use of a hearing gadget in both ears. The user wears a transmitter device in the impaired ear and a receiver that analyses the sound and sends it through a microphone in the proper working ear. Since the person has fairly normal hearing, this voice is not magnified beyond usual.
- 2. Bi-contralateral routing of sound (BiCROS) system
BiCROS hearing devices function similarly, except they are intended for persons with moderate-to-severe hearing impairment in their functioning ear. This implies that the functioning ear gets audio from the transmitter and hears enhanced sound through a conventional hearing aid.
- 3. Bone-anchored hearing systems
Some people might not benefit from CROS or BiCROS hearing aids. So, for them, a bone-anchored hearing system that involves surgical implantation is another option. These implants, also referred to as bone-anchored auditory implants, use bone conduction to transmit sound vibrations directly toward the inner ear.
Sudden Hearing Loss Tests
If you suffer from sudden hearing loss, your physician will inquire about the symptoms and perform a physical examination. They seek out signs of infection and other problems that might result in hearing loss. The doctor may conduct an audiogram to assess hearing loss. This hearing test determines what kinds of things you may hear. The following are the tests for hearing impairment:
- 1. Configuration: The ability to distinguish between low-pitched and high-pitched sounds.
- 2. Degree: The degree of hearing loss is determined by the classification of normal, minor to severe, or profound.
- 3. Types: These include constructive, sensorineural, and mixed.
-
Moreover, an MRI or a CT scan may be recommended when there is an injury or severe illness like cancer.
When to see a doctor?
Consult your doctor if you have hearing loss, and that affects your everyday life. So, if you suffer hearing loss or encounter the following symptoms, you should talk to your doctor:
- 1. Balance problems
- 2. Continuous buzzing or ringing in the ears (tinnitus)
- 3. Unbearable earache
- 4. Sudden deafness or hearing problems.
-
Conclusion
We hope that reading this blog makes you aware of all the relevant information that can assist you in knowing your hearing impairment easily. We have covered all there is to know about sudden hearing loss, from the causes to the symptoms and treatments. Hence, we recommend getting professional assistance if you are experiencing this problem or notice any symptoms. Your healthcare professional may advise you on the best method for improving poor hearing so that you can reconnect with the things around you.
Frequently Asked Questions
What could cause sudden hearing loss?
Sudden hearing loss can occur due to multiple reasons. It includes bacterial infection, head injury, tumors, inner ear disorders, ear blockage, and loud noise exposure.
Can sudden hearing loss be restored?
Yes, sudden hearing loss may be restored and is often reversible. Around half of the individuals suffering from this illness recover their hearing without assistance. However, it normally improves within a week or two when treated properly.
Is sudden hearing loss regarded as an emergency?
Sudden hearing loss is an otological issue that appears quickly in a person over time and is regarded as an ENT emergency.
What are three warning signs of hearing loss?
The three most common symptoms of hearing loss are:
- 1. Trouble hearing and interpreting other individuals, especially in busy environments.
- 2. Requesting people to repeat something they said.
- 3. Hearing music or watching Television at a louder volume than other people.
-
Is sudden hearing loss common?
It is not sure that sudden hearing loss is a common impairment. But, according to an estimation, 1 to 6 people in every 5000 experience this issue yearly. However, the actual numbers can even be more as certain people are unaware of this issue and do not report it.
What to do if we experience sudden hearing loss?
If you suffer sudden hearing loss, you must immediately get medical attention from an ENT doctor or physician.
What are the consequences of hearing loss?
Hearing loss might leave you with a feeling isolated from your surroundings. You may get impatient, irritated, or aggressive. Moreover, individuals who have significant hearing loss may experience anxiety or depression.
What can I do to avoid sudden hearing loss issues?
The most prevalent causes of sudden hearing loss are loud sound exposure. To help with the avoidance of noise-induced hearing impairment, you must:
- 1. Avoid being exposed to noisy gatherings and places.
- 2. Use earmuffs or earplugs to reduce noise.
- 3. Reduce the volume of electrical gadgets, power tools, and headphones.
You May Also Like