Tonic Doctor: Losing Your Hearing Overnight
“My cousin recently lost her hearing in one ear overnight. She is 58 and otherwise healthy. I’ve never heard of this before. Does it run in families? Is it likely to happen to me too, or is there something I can do to prevent it?”
Sudden-onset hearing loss occurs in around 20 out of 100,000 people a year. Individuals with this condition, which usually occurs in one ear, may notice that normal conversations suddenly sound very soft, or that they need to turn up the volume of the TV or radio more than usual. They may also notice a feeling of fullness, or pressure, or ringing in their ears.
In some cases, the cause is impacted wax or a foreign object in the ear canal. In more than 90 per cent of cases, however, the hearing loss occurs in the inner ear and the cause remains unknown. A genetic cause has not been found, so there is no reason to assume that it will happen to you, too.
The good news is that most people do recover most or some of their hearing, either spontaneously or through treatment with, for example, oral steroids. For this reason, as soon as a sudden hearing loss is noticed it is important to visit a GP who can discuss treatment options and refer you to an ear, nose and throat specialist, or an audiologist for a full diagnostic hearing test.
This information is general only. Always seek advice from a medical practitioner about your personal health conditions. We do not accept any liability for any injury, loss or damage caused by use of the information provided in our website.
Answer provided by Dr Barbra Timmer, President of Audiology Australia
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