That is the definition of sudden hearing loss: it occurs in less than three days and often attacks without warning.

The loss may occur all at once and leave you mostly deaf, or it may come on gradually and result in a very slight amount of deafness that you might think you are imagining.

But this disease is not as harmless as tinnitus (ringing of the ears). The symptoms and signs associated with your particular type of hearing loss may give you a clue as to what caused it, thus helping your doctor to identify and treat the problem quickly.

Here are some sudden hearing loss symptoms to check for:

• Sudden hearing loss can result from trauma or bad blood circulation
• Gradual onset can point to serious causes, such as tumors in the head or neck area
• If the hearing loss occurs in conjunction with vertigo or tinnitus, it may be a nerve issue
• Hearing loss in one ear is known as “unilateral,” while loss in both ears is “bilateral.” Unilateral hearing loss is most commonly associated with acoustic neuromas, conductive causes, and trauma.
• Ear infections may cause momentary loss but are usually fixable. They typically cause a fever and severe inner ear pain. Other causes of such pain may be from trauma or canal obstruction.

If these sudden hearing loss symptoms are severe or sustained, they may require the immediate attention of a doctor. Other issues that are sometimes associated with the possibility of sudden hearing loss include a foreign body in the ear canal, extreme pressure changes (such as with flying or diving), severe head and neck trauma, blood or excessive fluid leaking from the ear, and a fever that does not respond to anti-inflammatory drugs such as Tylenol.

If you are manifesting these signs it is imperative that you seek medical attention immediately. The doctor will employ a number of techniques to ascertain the causes and severity of your symptoms, from testing your hearing with a tuning fork to running a CT brain scan if necessary.

These investigative measures can be key in early diagnosis and/or preventing loss of hearing.

So be sure to know and analyze any sudden hearing loss symptoms you may be exhibiting so that your sudden hearing loss, if and when it comes, doesn’t have to be permanent.

Its treatment is an expanding field and one that makes new discoveries constantly; currently there is no definitive cure.

Recent research indicates that vitamin E, taken in 400 mg doses twice a day, is a highly effective treatment.

However, most treatments for this disease tend to be highly controversial, because about 90% of all cases remain a complete mystery to doctors.

They are known as idiopathic cases; in other words, systematic and without apparent cause.

Conventional treatments are numerous and of varied effectiveness. Sudden hearing loss treatments available on the market can include measures such as oral steroids, a time-proven technique that can aid in partial recovery. In certain cases, it appears that a combination of steroids and antiviral medication achieves greater results than either method used on its own.

Vasodilatation is a form of therapy also commonly used. It involves the use of hormones, given orally or intravenously, to widen veins and increase blood flow. (Viagra is a famous example of a vasodilator.) In certain hearing loss cases, vasodilators can heighten the body’s natural immune system response.

Some doctors and researchers argue that the immune system is the only necessary form of sudden hearing loss treatment. They advocate the no-treatment option, where a patient is given plenty of rest and good nutrition and then left to his or her own devices.

In a study performed in 1977, this method was found to cause spontaneous recovery in two-thirds of participants. Certain proponents of this method argue that hasty medicinal treatment may tamper with the body’s natural ability to heal itself, and that if left alone, sudden hearing loss will disappear as quickly as it came. The effectiveness of the no-treatment method is difficult to prove and is still debated.

Hyperbaric oxygen treatments have been explored as a sudden hearing loss treatment, and results are currently inconclusive, but seem positive. Some studies have shown a slight increase in hearing ability after the patient was given high doses of oxygen and allowed to rest. But because oxygen treatment has factors that are difficult to control—for example, we all breathe oxygen every day, thus tampering with treatment results—making judgments based on this method is not yet reliable.

A study performed in 2008 points to large doses of prednisone taper combined with intratympanic dexamethasone as a possible solution. This avenue of research is still being investigated.

Essentially, the most promising recent research indicates that doses of vitamin E are the best for sudden hearing loss treatment. This powerful antioxidant has also been used to treat diabetes, and patients given vitamin E for sudden hearing loss reported a near-complete recovery.

This type of hearing loss is also referred to as nerve deafness. Nerve deafness is somewhat appropriate for this medical problem but not entirely the cause.

Those over 65 years of age account for twenty-three percent of those affected by Sensorineural hearing loss causes in America.

Sensorineural hearing loss causes are due to some sort of damage to the auditory nerve or the cochlear nerve. The cochlear nerve is responsible for getting sound to the brain.

Sensorineural is most commonly used when talking about a lesion in the eighth nerves or the cochlear area of the ear. Diagnosing this pattern of hearing loss can only be found through the use of the audiometer. This differentiates between the amount of air conduction and bone conduction.

Individuals who have defects in the cochlear region cannot pass OAE testing. Individuals with eighth nerve (auditory) deficiency cannot pass BAER testing.

The most common Sensorineural hearing loss causes are a result of old age, ototoxic medication use (large doses of aspirin and diuretics), Menieres disease, exposure to loud noises, immune disorders, and inner ear trauma. Tumors are a rare occurrence in this type of hearing loss but metastatic cancer, such as those found in the breast, can be one of the Sensorineural hearing loss causes.

Use of high amounts of aspirin or anti-inflammatory drugs can be linked also. Diabetic individuals experience gradual Sensorineural hearing loss whereas others will have it come on suddenly. This is worsened by the ear infections diabetics suffer from. Because it is an autoimmune disorder, the autoimmune drugs play a factor in how quickly the hearing goes. Getting control of diabetes seems to be the best way to slow this loss of hearing.

Sensorineural hearing loss causes due to noise is a result of damage to the cochlear. One-fourth of the work force in America is exposed, on a regular basis, to noise that can be potentially damaging to their ears. For this reason, the government has set forth standards to regulate the allowable amount of noise one should be exposed to. Workers in or around 1960 were exposed to higher noise levels because of having no laws in place to mandate hearing protection.

Sensorineural hearing loss causes are mainly general in nature but, in some cases, with proper ear protection and keeping noise to a bearable level, the amount of hearing

It is one of the few new treatments for sudden hearing loss that modern science has developed in the last few years to help counteract the effects of this terrible condition.

Sudden hearing loss is commonly defined as loss that occurs in three days or less.

This type of hearing loss is almost always unexpected and the reasons for it are extremely difficult to pinpoint—the majority of cases are idiopathic, meaning their cause is unknown.

It is clear that more research in this field is required. Only about 10-15% of cases are ever accurately solved, and they involve a narrow range of diagnoses: metabolic, immunologic, neurologic, viral, and bacterial causes. This makes it difficult to develop new treatments for sudden hearing loss.

It has long been known, thanks to innovations in the field of animal research, that antioxidants can prevent long-term inner ear damage. Vitamin E seems to be particularly effective across the board in animal testing.

In cases where a definite diagnosis cannot be determined, this vitamin can support the body’s natural recovery and sometimes fully restore hearing capacity.

However, vitamin E is still classified as a treatment rather than a cure. It improves hearing ability for victims of sudden hearing loss but so far has demonstrated only average performance in achieving total recovery.

Its use as a new treatment for sudden hearing loss may be imminent, though. A study of victims who had lost their hearing within the last eight days showed that although vitamin E was significantly more effective than common remedies like inhaling steroids or carbogen, taking magnesium, or being confined to bed rest, it contributed only marginally to complete healing of the inner ear.

Still, researchers are motivated by the fact that vitamin E displays a significant advantage over other treatments. Each study participant was given 400 mg of vitamin E twice a day and the test group showed significant results. They recovered up to 78% of their hearing, while hearing loss victims who used conventional methods only recovered up to about 45%. To provide a reference point, scientists classified successful recovery as 75% or more.

For all intents and purposes, vitamin E may be considered a new treatment for sudden hearing loss. Scientists encourage victims of sudden onset hearing loss to treat their symptoms with vitamin E under the direction of a doctor. They intend to pursue this medical avenue to its conclusion.

Experts believe that they may be just a few steps away from finding a complete cure for idiopathic hearing loss, and that possibly by combining vitamin E with other antioxidants in varying doses they will crack the code.

The idea of suddenly losing your hearing can be a frightening feeling.

Understanding the different types and what causes it can help you to avoid this problem.

When you lose your hearing there is a possibility that it might not just be temporarily, but possibly permanent.
 
 
There are several causes for sudden hearing loss.

• The first major category of causes for sudden hearing loss is conductive hearing loss.

  You may be suffering from conductive hearing loss if you have a middle ear infection, or a perforated ear drum.

  Another aspect of hearing loss that falls into the category of conductive hearing loss is a blockage of your outer ear by ear wax.

  In addition to having an ear infection or a perforated ear drum, there are several other much less common causes of conductive hearing loss.

• The second major category of causes for sudden hearing loss is called sensorineural hearing loss.

  Sensorineural hearing loss occurs when there is damage to the hairs in the ear heading towards the inner ear.

  This type of hearing loss if often at fault in cases involving age.

  Trauma to your brain can also cause this type of hearing loss.

  Certain drugs and viral infections are also part of the category of causes of sensorineural hearing loss.

  Other neurological conditions including brain tumors and multiple sclerosis are part of the vast number of causes of sudden hearing loss known as sensorineural hearing loss.

While conductive hearing loss and sensorineural hearing loss are the two major categories of hearing loss, they do not include every possibility of hearing loss.

However, if you stay healthy, and avoid diseases and antibiotics that are too powerful, you will be much safer and likely avoid having any trouble with sudden hearing loss.

While it is extremely rare for anyone to suffer from sudden hearing loss, it is more likely to occur as an adult.

There are several explanations for sudden hearing loss during adulthood.

One of the most common reasons for sudden hearing loss as an adult is one of several diseases.

There is actually a very long list of diseases that are suspected to cause hearing loss.

Among these are meningitis, syphilis, and oddly enough, leukemia. The highest concentration of cases of sudden hearing loss as an adult is 46-49 years old. The average incidence rate is 20 cases per 100,000 people.

Many theories are currently being formulated by scientists about the exact cause of hearing loss as adults. One of the main theories is a recent upper respiratory infection.

Nearly 60% of people suffering from a case of hearing loss that comes on suddenly report symptoms of an upper respiratory infection within the 4 weeks preceding their hearing loss. This cause could point to a specific type of infection that affects the body’s ability to hear. There has been no definitive link to this cause as of yet.

Sudden hearing loss as an adult is nearly unheard of. However, the number of cases reported each year is rising.

If you begin to lose your hearing, go to a doctor immediately for diagnosis and treatment.

Some cases of sudden hearing loss as an adult are permanent, however, some are temporary and the sooner you seek treatment, the higher your rate of success for regaining your hearing.