Sensorineural hearing loss

Sensorineural hearing loss is deafness caused by damage to the inner ear or the nerve that conducts signals from the ear to the brain

Causes

• Disease of the blood vessels
• Immune disease
• Infections, such as meningitis, mumps, scarlet fever, and measles
• Injury to the inner ear or nerve
• Meniere disease
• Tumor, such as acoustic neuroma
• Use of certain medications
• Exposure to loud noises frequently

Risk factors

Common risk factors include Occupational or recreational noises, especially if loud. Other risk factors include:

• Aging
• Heredity
• Certain medication
• Infections

Signs and symptoms

• Reduced or loss of hearing
• Difficulty understanding speech
• Sudden or steady loss of hearing
• Stuffy sensation in the ear
• Ringing in the ear
• Dizziness

Diagnosis

• The diagnosis of a sensorineural pattern hearing loss is usually made through audiometry.
• The audiometry shows a significant hearing loss without the air-bone gap seen in conductive hearing loss.
• Imaging studies such as CT scan and or MRI scan to rule out tumors etc.

Treatment

Treatment depends on the cause and severity and may involve some of the following:

• Hearing aids - limited value in true sensorineural hearing loss
• Cochlear or brainstem implants
• Other assistive devices

Supportive treatments include:

• vitamins and antioxidants
• vasodilators
• betahistine (Betaserc) (anti-vertigo drug)
• hyperbaric oxygen
• rheologic agents such as hydroxyethyl starch, dextran and pentoxifylline
• anti-inflammatory agents
• corticosteroids
• intratympanic administration of certain medicine

Prevention

Reducing exposure to loud sounds etc.

Prognosis

Prognosis is guarded

External links

• Wikipedia

Gallery

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Classification	ICD-10: H90.3 -H90.5 ICD-9-CM: 389.1 MeSH: D006319 DiseasesDB: 2874
External resources	MedlinePlus: 003291

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