Identifying the cause of sudden hearing loss accompanied by dizziness… Needs steroid treatment to improve vascular function
Entered 2024.01.07 15:10 Views 27 Entered 2024.01.07 15:10 Modified 2024.01.05 17:30 Views 27
Research results have shown that the cause of sudden hearing loss accompanied by dizziness, which has been particularly difficult to treat, may be due to vascular disorders within the ear organ. [사진=클립아트코리아]Research results have shown that the cause of sudden hearing loss accompanied by dizziness may be a vascular disorder within the ear organ.
Sudden hearing loss is a disease in which hearing suddenly declines within a few hours or up to 2 to 3 days without any warning symptoms. You may suddenly experience deafness in one ear, tinnitus, and symptoms of dizziness and vertigo. In particular, if treatment is delayed, permanent hearing loss can occur in about two-thirds of patients, so it is considered a representative emergency disease in otolaryngology.
In general, viral infections or vascular disorders within the cochlea are cited as the main causes. To treat viral infections, high doses of steroid drugs are administered. On the other hand, if the cause is vascular disease, treatment methods such as hyperbaric oxygen therapy or anticoagulation therapy are more effective than steroid administration.
However, because the structure of the cochlea is complex, there is a problem that it is difficult to determine the cause of sudden hearing loss. Treatment methods must also vary depending on each cause, but currently only high-dose steroid medication is used as standard treatment.
Accordingly, the research team of Professor Kim Min-beom of the Department of Otolaryngology at Kangbuk Samsung Hospital found that the treatment prognosis of steroid therapy is poor in patients with sudden hearing loss suspected to be caused by vascular disorders, such as dizziness. This is the result of a comparative analysis of the treatment effectiveness of sudden hearing loss in 152 patients who received treatment for sudden hearing loss at hospitals between 2017 and 2022.
As a result of steroid treatment, the majority of these patients, 106 people, had a poor prognosis. There was partial or no improvement in symptoms. In particular, a point of note is that patients with poor prognosis generally have problems with the function of the posterior semicircular canal, which controls balance and speed sense in the cochlea. In other words, there is a high possibility that it will be accompanied by symptoms of dizziness or vertigo.
In fact, test results showed that 73 patients with dizziness had overall decreased posterior semicircular canal function. Among the remaining 79 patients who did not have dizziness, 56.2% (44 patients) showed problems with posterior semicircular canal function.
On the other hand, the number of patients whose symptoms completely improved after treatment was 46. These patients usually had problems with the saccule, a balance organ included in the vestibular system, not the cochlea. Among patients without dizziness, approximately 20.3% (16 people) had saccule problems, and in patients with dizziness, there were no overall significant test results.
Accordingly, the researchers concluded that in patients with sudden hearing loss who are accompanied by dizziness or have decreased function of the posterior semicircular canal, vascular disorders within the ear organ are likely to be the cause. It was also suggested that in order to improve the treatment prognosis of these patients, the focus should be on treatments to improve vascular function, such as hyperbaric oxygen therapy or anticoagulation therapy, rather than steroid therapy.
Professor Kim Min-beom said, “Even if appropriate treatment is given in the early stages, permanent symptoms remain in 40-50% of cases of sudden hearing loss.” He added, “Therefore, we need to quickly find the exact cause and implement appropriate treatment, and this study will help us discover new treatments at an early stage.” “We will be able to consider it,” he said.
The paper was published in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, one of the top international journals in the field of otolaryngology. The following link (https://aao-hnsfjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ohn.422)You can check it here.
Reporter Choi Ji-hyeon
jh@kormedi.com
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2024-01-07 06:11:06
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