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February 8, 2007
Sudden deafness not to be ignored, doctor says
Sudden deafness is a serious condition that is often misdiagnosed because people think they only have a plugged ear from a cold. But if it is not treated immediately, it can cause permanent hearing loss, experts said.
NewsCenter 5's Heather Unruh reported that about 300 people every year in Massachusetts suffer from sudden deafness, experts said.
Donna Burke went to bed one night last year with perfect hearing. But when she woke up the next day, she was deaf in one ear.
"I put my finger in this ear to block the hearing and I couldn't hear out of this one. It was frightening, very frightening," she said.
Burke immediately went to Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, where she was diagnosed with sudden deafness. She began steroid treatments.
"After my second and before my third (treatment), I had my hearing back," Burke said.
But most people often put off treatment because the primary symptom of sudden deafness is a stuffy ear, which is a common cold symptom. If people don't catch sudden deafness early, it can be too late and the resulting hearing loss can be irreversible.
"We know that if you don't treat this, the chance of hearing improving, not necessarily to normal, but some degree of improvement, is seen in, maybe, 25 percent of cases. And if you catch it early and treat it aggressively, the chance of some hearing recovery is 50 to 60 percent," said Dr. Steven Rauch of Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary.
Doctors don't know what causes sudden deafness, but the most popular theory is that it is caused by a virus. Rauch said humming is a simple way people can find out if they just have a stuffy ear or something more serious.
"A person who develops a nuance outer ear blockage has to hum and see where they hear the voice. If it goes to the blocked ear, it's nothing to worry about. If it goes to the good ear, it's an emergency," Rauch said.
Burke had her hearing back after only a few treatments.
"I consider this a miracle because my husband has a hearing disability, and I know how difficult that its it to live with for him," she said.
Researchers at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary are continuing to study whether a steroid injection works better than an oral steroid for treating sudden deafness.
http://www.thebostonchannel.com:80/asseenon5/10903415/detail.html
Posted by 4HL on February 8, 2007 8:12 AM
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