“Ear stroke” is a term one might use for sudden, unexplained hearing loss. Officially, this is known as sudden sensorineural hearing loss, or SSHL, and it is considered a medical emergency. Let’s discuss ear stroke, or SSHL, in more detail, including symptoms, causes, diagnosis and treatment.
Symptoms of Ear Stroke
SSHL is characterized by an abrupt change or loss in hearing. By “abrupt,” we mean taking 72 hours or less. For some, it can be nearly instantaneous. This can look like:
- Muffled hearing, or no hearing at all
- A sensation of fullness or pressure inside the ear
- A loud pop in the ear, like what happens with sudden elevation changes, and then hearing is gone
- Tinnitus (ringing in the ear)
- Dizziness
- Vertigo
- Nausea, although this is uncommon
Commonly, hearing loss only occurs in one ear.
Causes of Ear Stroke
Many people with SSHL put off consulting a healthcare professional because they believe it is temporary, caused by a sinus infection, ear infection, ear blockage, allergies or other common conditions. In truth, SSHL is a form of sensorineural hearing loss, which means that there is damage or dysfunction in the inner ear, which is the part of our auditory system that encodes sound information and sends it to the brain. Therefore, it occurs when there is a problem with the organ of the inner ear or the nerve connecting the inner ear to the brain and warrants immediate medical treatment to determine what caused such dramatic harm in so short a period of time.
Here are some things that can potentially cause SSHL:
- Virus
- Physical injury
- Cardiovascular conditions, which can cause issues with blood flow to the inner ear
- Autoimmune diseases
- Ototoxic medications
- Neurological disorders
Diagnosing Ear Stroke
Only about one in ten people with SSHL have an identifiable cause. This is because it happens so quickly that it can be hard for a doctor to determine the cause.
To diagnose SSHL, the doctor must first rule out an ear blockage or obstructions, such as compacted earwax or a foreign object stuck in the ear. Once ear blockage is ruled out, the doctor will perform a hearing test, specifically a pure-tone audiometry test, to determine the severity of hearing loss and potentially map out how marked a change in hearing health it was.
Treating Ear Stroke
Treatment for SSHL will depend on the cause of hearing loss (if known) and how quickly medical intervention was sought.
If the cause is unknown, the most common treatment prescribed is corticosteroids, taken either orally or injected into the middle ear. It’s imperative that treatment is sought immediately; it’s best to start within three days, but it must be started within 2 weeks of onset. If you delay treatment beyond this window, the loss is almost always permanent, and even with the steroids, not everyone recovers their hearing.
If the cause of SSHL is determined, your doctor will likely prescribe additional treatments for that cause. For example, if SSHL was caused by an autoimmune condition that attacked and damaged ear tissue or nerves, drugs to suppress the immune system may be used.
Even with intervention, not everyone recovers their hearing. When this happens, the next step is hearing aids or cochlear implants, depending on the damage. They will not “fix” your hearing, but they will aid (pun intended) in amplifying sounds to make up for the loss in the ear. They can improve overall quality of life after hearing loss.
If you or someone you know has experienced a sudden, unexplained change in hearing recently, don’t minimize the risks; seek medical attention right away. And for more information about hearing loss and hearing devices, contact Oregon Ear, Nose & Throat Center.