Identify the cause of sudden hearing loss accompanied by dizziness… Requires steroid treatment to improve vascular function
Posted 2024.01.07 15:10 Views 0 Posted 2024.01.07 15:10 Modified 2024.01.05 17:30 Views 0
Research results have shown that the cause of sudden hearing loss accompanied by dizziness, which is particularly difficult to treat, may be due to vascular disorders within the ear organ. [사진=클립아트코리아]Research results have shown that the cause of sudden hearing loss accompanied by dizziness may be a vascular disorder within the ear organ.
Sudden hearing loss is a disease in which hearing suddenly decreases within a few hours or up to 2 or 3 days without any warning symptoms. You may suddenly experience deafness in one ear, tinnitus, and symptoms of dizziness and vertigo. In particular, if treatment is delayed, permanent hearing loss may occur in approximately two-thirds of patients, whereby it is considered a representative emergency disease in otolaryngology.
In general, the main causes are cited as viral infections or vascular disorders within the cochlea. High doses of steroid drugs are given to treat viral infections. On the other hand, if the cause is vascular disease, treatment methods such as hyperbaric oxygen therapy or anticoagulant therapy are more effective than steroid administration.
However, because the structure of the cochlea is complex, it is difficult to determine the cause of sudden hearing loss. Treatment methods must also vary depending on the cause, but currently only high-dose steroid drugs are used as standard treatment.
As a result, the research team of Professor Kim Min-beom from the Department of Otolaryngology of Kangbuk Samsung Hospital found that the prognosis of treatment with steroid therapy is poor in patients with sudden hearing loss suspected to be caused by vascular disorders, such as dizziness. This is the result of a comparative analysis of the effectiveness of sudden hearing loss treatment in 152 patients who received treatment for sudden hearing loss in hospitals between 2017 and 2022.
As a result of steroid treatment, the majority of these patients, 106 people, had a poor prognosis. There was partial or no improvement in symptoms. In particular, it should be noted that patients with poor prognosis generally have problems with the function of the posterior semicircular canal, which controls balance and sense of speed in the cochlea. In other words, there is a high probability that it will be accompanied by symptoms of dizziness or vertigo.
In fact, test results showed that 73 patients with dizziness had overall reduced function of the posterior semicircular canal. Among the remaining 79 patients who did not have dizziness, 56.2% (44 patients) showed problems with the function of the posterior semicircular canal.
On the other hand, the number of patients whose symptoms improved completely after treatment was 46. These patients usually had problems with the saccule, a balance organ included in the vestibular system, and not with the cochlea. Among patients without dizziness, approximately 20.3% (16 people) had saccule problems, and overall no significant test results were obtained in patients with dizziness.
As a result, the researchers concluded that in patients with sudden hearing loss accompanied by dizziness or with reduced function of the posterior semicircular canal, the cause is likely to be a vascular disorder within the ear organ. It has also been suggested that, to improve the treatment outcome of these patients, attention should be focused on treatments to improve vascular function, such as hyperbaric oxygen therapy or anticoagulant therapy, rather than steroid therapy.
Professor Kim Min-beom said: “Even if appropriate treatment is given in the early stages, permanent symptoms remain in 40-50% of cases of sudden hearing loss.” And he added: “Therefore, we need to quickly find the exact cause and implement appropriate treatment and this study will help us discover new treatments at an early stage.” “We might consider it,” he said.
The article was published in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, one of the leading international journals in the field of otolaryngology. You can check the following link (
Journalist Choi Ji-hyeon
jh@kormedi.com
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