Sudden hearing loss is a serious condition that needs immediate
medical attention. As the name suggests, there is typically no
warning, nor is there any way to predict who is at risk. Sudden
hearing loss affects about 4000 new cases per year in the United
States. It can affect one or both ears. Tinnitus and a feeling
of fullness in the ear(s) often accompany the hearing loss. In
all cases, each patient needs to be seen by both an Audiologist
and an ENT/Otologist. After taking a history and looking in the
patient’s ears to assure that there is no wax causing the
problem; a battery of audiometric tests is performed. The
purpose of the testing is to determine the degree of the hearing
loss and also to determine whether the sudden loss is due to
malfunction of the hearing nerve or a problem in the middle ear.
Hearing loss due to a problem in the hearing nerve or cochlea is
called “sensorineural” and a loss that is caused by a problem in
the middle ear is called “conductive.” You can also have a
combination of the