A Study of Acute Low-tone Sensorineural Hearing Loss Suspected Cases of Repetition and Recurrence without History of Treatment

• Published in: AUDIOLOGY JAPAN Vol. 46; no. 3; pp. 207 - 212
• Main Authors: Sakata, Toshifumi, Nishizono, Masuo, Kato, Toshihiko
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English; Japanese
• Published: Japan Audiological Society 30.06.2003
• ISSN: 0303-8106; 1883-7301
• DOI: 10.4295/audiology.46.207

Acute Low-tone Sensorineural Hearing Loss (ALSH) is a disease characterized by repetition or recurrence and shift to Meniere's disease. Grasping these characteristics is important in determining the duration of medication and follow-up period. History taking of the patients with this disease at their first medical examination reveals some cases of spontaneous cure, in which the patient, though without the history of medical examination, was aware of tinnitus or feeling of ear fullness for a fixed period of time without any cause. In short, there is a possibility that not a few patients presented with this disease as repetition or recurrence at their first medical examination. Setting an eye on this point, we studied whether the difference between the cases suspected of recurrence on history taking and the cases considered as the first occurrence is reflected in the audiograms and subjective symptoms. As a result, the hearing level at 1kHz was significantly low in the audiograms at the first medical examination and prognosis was also poor in the group of patients suspected of recurrence. This is a result not contradictory with the judgement that the disease had developed previously. For the patients with this disease at their first medical examination, therefore, it seems necessary to suspect and confirm previous occurrence by history taking even when the patient has no history of treatment.