Sudden deafness is not a trivial matter, prevention and protection are the key

Author: Feng Jinwei, Rehabilitation Therapist, Shenzhen Children's Hospital

Feng Jiale Shenzhen Children's Hospital

Han Zhaodi Shenzhen Children's Hospital

Reviewer: Su Ying, Chief Nurse, Shenzhen Children's Hospital

Sudden deafness, referred to as "sudden deafness", is a sudden sensorineural hearing loss that usually develops rapidly within 72 hours, manifested by a sharp drop in hearing, a feeling of fullness in the ears, and tinnitus. Some patients may also experience vertigo. Sudden deafness has a serious impact on the patient's quality of life and social ability, so timely diagnosis and treatment are crucial.

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1. Cause Analysis

Sudden deafness is not caused by a single factor, but the result of the interaction of multiple potential factors. The following are the main causes of sudden deafness:

1. Viral infection: Viral infection is one of the common causes of sudden deafness, especially viral infection after a cold, which may damage the cochlea and auditory nerve.

2. Vascular disease: Spasm or embolism of small blood vessels in the brain leads to insufficient blood supply to the ear, which in turn causes hearing loss. Ischemia or edema of inner ear hair cells caused by vascular ischemia is an important cause of sudden deafness.

3. Tumor factors: Intracranial tumors such as acoustic neuroma can cause sudden hearing loss.

4. Drug-induced damage: Certain drugs, such as aminoglycoside antibiotics or anti-tumor drugs, may cause damage to hearing and cause sudden deafness.

5. Immune factors: Autoimmune diseases, such as systemic lupus erythematosus, may induce sudden deafness.

6. Ear diseases: Ear diseases such as Meniere's disease may be accompanied by symptoms such as sudden hearing loss, stuffy ears and tinnitus when vertigo occurs.

In addition, long-term mental stress, continuous exposure to high-decibel noise environments, and underlying systemic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, and hyperlipidemia may also increase the risk of sudden deafness.

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2. Symptoms

The main symptom of sudden deafness is hearing loss, usually unilateral deafness, and there are usually no warning signs before the onset of the disease. Hearing may drop sharply within minutes or hours, and some patients also have symptoms such as tinnitus, stuffy ears, or dizziness. Tinnitus may occur simultaneously with deafness or after it. After treatment, most patients can recover their hearing, but tinnitus may persist for a long time. Vertigo is a more serious symptom of sudden deafness, mostly rotational vertigo, accompanied by nausea and vomiting. Other symptoms include numbness of the ears, sleep disorders, emotional disorders, etc. These symptoms seriously affect the quality of life of patients.

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3. Treatment Methods

The treatment effect of sudden deafness is closely related to the time of treatment. The earlier the treatment, the better the prognosis. Therefore, once sudden deafness occurs, you should seek medical attention immediately. The main treatment methods include:

1. Drug treatment: It is the first choice for the treatment of sudden deafness. Commonly used drugs include glucocorticoids, neurotrophic drugs, vasodilators, anticoagulants, and fibrinolytic drugs. Glucocorticoids can reduce the inflammatory response of the inner ear and improve the blood supply to the inner ear; neurotrophic drugs can help promote the recovery of inner ear nerve function; vasodilators and anticoagulants and fibrinolytic drugs can improve the microcirculation of the inner ear and reduce fibrinogen, thereby alleviating the symptoms of deafness.

2. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy: As an auxiliary treatment method, it helps improve deafness symptoms by increasing the oxygen concentration in the body and promoting oxygen supply to the inner ear. The treatment needs to be carried out in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber, each time for 1 to 2 hours, and the course of treatment depends on the patient's condition.

3. Traditional Chinese medicine treatment: including acupuncture, massage, acupoint injection, acupoint application, scraping, warm moxibustion, ear tip bloodletting and other methods. These methods can achieve the purpose of treating deafness by dredging meridians, harmonizing qi and blood, and improving inner ear microcirculation.

4. Surgical treatment: For patients with severe sudden deafness who are not responsive to some drug treatments, surgical treatment may be considered, such as cochlear implants, which directly stimulate the auditory nerve and help restore hearing. However, surgical treatment requires strict control of indications and avoidance of risks.

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IV. Preventive measures

To reduce the risk of sudden deafness, you can take the following preventive measures:

1. Control underlying diseases: Actively control systemic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, and hyperlipidemia, and keep blood pressure, blood sugar, and blood lipids at normal levels.

2. Avoid noise exposure: Try to minimize the time spent in high-intensity noise environments and use hearing protection devices such as earplugs.

3. Healthy lifestyle: Maintaining a balanced diet, getting enough exercise, getting enough sleep and reducing stress can help maintain overall health, including ear health.

4. Pay attention to ear hygiene: avoid using sharp objects to pick your ears to prevent ear infections. When swimming or bathing, use earplugs to prevent water from entering the ear canal.

5. Use medication with caution: Follow your doctor’s advice when using medication, especially for people with hearing problems.

6. Regular hearing tests: Regular hearing tests should be conducted, especially for people with a family history of hearing loss or those who are exposed to noise for a long time.

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The causes of sudden deafness are complex, but comprehensive treatment and active preventive measures can reduce the risk of occurrence and improve treatment effectiveness. Once symptoms of sudden deafness occur, you should seek medical attention immediately and strive for early diagnosis and treatment so that you can restore your hearing as soon as possible and enjoy a better life.

References:

[1] Qin Xianfei, Zhao Xiangkun, Sun Xiumei. Research progress on the impact of common underlying diseases on the efficacy of treatment for sudden deafness[J]. Chinese Journal of Otolaryngology, 2024, 22(2): 275-278.

[2] Wu Yanfang, Fu Yongwang. Analysis of the efficacy of hyperbaric oxygen combined with drug treatment for sudden deafness[J]. International Medicine and Health Guide, 2020, 26(01): 51-54.

[3] Xiao Qi, Zhang Danhui, Liu Peng, et al. Clinical efficacy observation of comprehensive traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of refractory sudden deafness[J]. Journal of Guangzhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2024, 41(6): 1486-1492.