It may be unsettling to learn that it’s possible for you to have normal hearing your entire life and, one day, wake up deaf in one ear. You can also have mild hearing impairment and lose the rest of your hearing within a few days. This, known as sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSHL), almost always happens in only one ear and extremely rarely can happen in both ears. Luckily, many cases are temporary or treatable.
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Sudden deafness is rare, impacting up to one person per 5,000 annually, most often adults in their 40s and 50s.The actual number could be much higher because many people recover quickly and never see a healthcare provider.
But don’t let that dissuade you from seeking an evaluation. The underlying cause may be significant, related or unrelated to your ears, and call for immediate (and, in some cases, ongoing) treatment.
Symptoms
Sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSHL) is therapid loss of hearingeither at once or over several days. Some people don’t go to a healthcare provider right away because they attribute their hearing loss to earwax in the ear canal, a sinus infection, or allergies. Unfortunately, delaying a visit to a medical professional may decrease the effectiveness of treatment or result in a serious condition going undiagnosed.
Over 98 out of 100 people with sudden deafness lose hearing in only one ear.People may experience it differently. SSHL may:
About half of people with rapid hearing loss recover some or all of their hearing, usually in one to two weeks.
Causes
Many cases of SSHL (up to 90%) are idiopathic, or spontaneous with no known cause.
When a cause can be identified, the most common ones are:
This is a limited list; your SSHL may be due to several causes of varying concern.
Diagnosis
A general practitioner may refer you to an audiologist, a specialist who assesses hearing and balance problems, as well as an otolaryngologist (ear, nose, and throat doctor), who treats SSHL.
You’ll most likely undergo a hearing test called pure tone audiometry, which can show the range of hearing that’s been lost. A hearing test targets two aspects of sound: Decibels, or the volume of sound, and frequencies, a measure of pitch from high to low. Sudden deafness is indicated if a hearing test shows a loss of at least 30 decibels in three connected frequencies.
If you are diagnosed with sudden deafness, other tests like blood work, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and balance tests can help determine an underlying cause.
Treatment
Given the large range of potential causes, treatment will largely depend on what your healthcare provider finds from testing and examinations.
In cases of physical injury or barotrauma, the ear may heal on its own. Corticosteroids are the most common treatment for sudden deafness, as they reduce inflammation, decrease swelling, and help the body fight illness.
For cases where hearing is not fully restored, hearing aids may be an option. The key is seeing a medical professional as soon as possible to find the best treatment.
Of those who receive treatment from an otolaryngologist, 85% will recover some of their hearing.
2 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Kuhn M, Heman-ackah SE, Shaikh JA, Roehm PC.Sudden sensorineural hearing loss: a review of diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis.Trends Amplif. 2011;15(3):91-105. doi:10.1177/1084713811408349National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD).Sudden deafness.
2 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Kuhn M, Heman-ackah SE, Shaikh JA, Roehm PC.Sudden sensorineural hearing loss: a review of diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis.Trends Amplif. 2011;15(3):91-105. doi:10.1177/1084713811408349National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD).Sudden deafness.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Kuhn M, Heman-ackah SE, Shaikh JA, Roehm PC.Sudden sensorineural hearing loss: a review of diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis.Trends Amplif. 2011;15(3):91-105. doi:10.1177/1084713811408349National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD).Sudden deafness.
Kuhn M, Heman-ackah SE, Shaikh JA, Roehm PC.Sudden sensorineural hearing loss: a review of diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis.Trends Amplif. 2011;15(3):91-105. doi:10.1177/1084713811408349
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD).Sudden deafness.
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