Hearing loss that appears all of a sudden is referred to by the experts as sudden hearing loss. It’s something that can make its presence known when you wake up in the morning. This condition can develop in a few hours to a couple of days.
This article will get you introduced to some of the most important things you need to know about sudden hearing loss, such as its causes, symptoms and treatment.
If you feel that you are suffering from sudden hearing loss based on the pieces of information found below, it’s a good idea to seek professional care right away as early detection and treatment can help fend off complications. The right person for the job is an ENT specialist, a doctor who is specializing in diagnosing and treating problems concerning the ears, nose and throat.
Causes
Unfortunately, the exact cause of sudden hearing loss remains a mystery to date. Needless to say, an ENT specialist may not be able to identify the causative factor of the problem even after thoroughly considering the person’s medical history and carrying out an assortment of tests.
Sudden idiopathic hearing loss is the name given to sudden hearing loss without a cause that can be identified by an expert. However, ENT specialists know for a fact that problems concerning circulation to the ears can increase a person’s risk of ending up with sudden hearing loss.
There is a type of sudden hearing loss that is referred to as stress-related sudden hearing loss. Just like what the name says, it’s something that can be blamed on stress which can affect circulation to the ears and cause hearing loss.
Other things that can have a negative effect on one’s circulation can also be blamed for sudden hearing loss. They include high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity and autoimmune diseases.
Symptoms
As earlier mentioned, sudden hearing loss is hearing loss that comes into being all of a sudden. You may wake up one morning realizing that you have lost your sense of hearing, although it’s also possible for it to gradually develop in a matter of hours or a few days.
More often than not, sudden hearing loss affects only one ear. However, some people who have it complain of hearing loss on both ears.
Sudden hearing loss is usually accompanied by tinnitus, a condition which is characterized by the presence of ringing, buzzing, whistling or humming in the ears.
A lot of people who have sudden hearing loss also usually complain about ear pressure. Ear pain is rarely a symptom associated with sudden hearing loss. Some other symptoms that may come with sudden hearing loss include dizziness and loss of sensation in the earlobe.
Treatment
In order to treat sudden hearing loss, it’s important to identify the problem that’s causing it in the first place. Just about anything that can impact circulation to the ears can be the one to blame for hearing loss.
For instance, avoiding stressors and engaging in stress-relieving activities will be recommended by an ENT specialist if it’s apparent that stress is the root cause. On the other hand, lowering the blood pressure via medications and also lifestyle and dietary modifications will be recommended if hypertension is the culprit.
Sudden hearing loss can cause permanent loss of hearing most especially if irreversible damage to the delicate inner ear structures is present. If such is the case, the solution is to use a hearing aid.
There are cases in which tinnitus is a symptom that doesn’t go away. Someone with sudden hearing loss that is accompanied by tinnitus may opt for a hearing aid that gives off white noise (or a machine or smartphone app that produces it) in order to mask tinnitus.
