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Sudden hearing loss – when the ear suddenly no longer functions (Part 1/3)
Sudden hearing loss is a symptom, not a diagnosis. This rather surprising definition, taken from an ENT manual, is intended to describe a medical condition but actually merely highlights the fact that we are treading unknown territory. An unfortunate situation considering the fact that there are around 250,000 cases of sudden hearing loss in Germany each year. While the condition occurs most often among the 50–60 year-olds, the percentage of those in the 30–40 year age bracket is constantly on the up.
Those affected often experience a sudden deficiency (it usually only affects one ear but can lead to permanent loss of hearing) in the form of a sense of pressure, as if their ear was blocked by a piece of cotton wool. Others get the impression that their ear has somehow closed. In most cases, sudden hearing loss is accompanied by tinnitus, in other words, you hear sounds in your ear that resemble a high-pitched whistle, or ring, or hiss, or hum, etc. Although this form of hearing loss, occurring completely out of the blue, is a condition affecting a growing number of people, its causes are as yet unknown. Sudden hearing loss can probably be attributed to the interaction of physical and psychological factors that combine to place the organism under undue pressure, something often subsumed today under headings such as "stress" or "burnout syndrome".
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