Many specialist doctors attribute sudden hearing loss primarily to insufficient blood circulation in the inner ear, which means the sensory cells in the cochlea as well as the balance system are not duly supplied with blood. The most widely used treatment therefore includes infusions of circulation-enhancing substances or oxygen to reduce or prevent damage caused by the "angina pectoris of the inner ear", another name for sudden hearing loss. In many cases, cortisone is used as an additional remedy. Such treatment is more or less identical to that for tinnitus, but there is no scientific proof that it works. A growing number of experts are now convinced that quite apart from the psychological factors and stress, the causes may include viral infections, disorders of the immune system or dysfunctions in the nerve tracts of the inner ear. Given the lack of clarity here, it is at least comforting to know that for up to 70 percent of those affected, the problem eventually disappears completely by itself and their hearing ability rebounds. Half of the patients will finally be free of complaints. However, if a severe shortfall in hearing has not improved within six months, wearing a hearing instrument is recommended, if only for the damaged ear, to make up for the loss.

Anno Bachem