Analysis of aetiological factors in unilateral sudden hearing loss

Elżbieta Reroń, Marek Modrzejewski, Katarzyna Zajdel, Piotr Muszyński

Summary
In the last decade in the ENT Department of the Jagiellonian University Hospital in Cracow, in 80 children aged 2 to 14 years, unilateral, usually sudden, severe hearing loss and deafness were diagnosed and treated.
The aim of this study is analysis of the potential aetiological factors responsible for sudden deafness on the basis of a detailed analysis of patient history, otolaryngological examinations, audiometric and pediatric tests.
In the material discussed, the fundamental aetiological factor in 35 children (43.8%) was a viral infection, such as epidemic parotitis, influenza, or German measles, as well as traumas of the skull and viral or bacterial meningitis.
In 31 children (38.75%) the aetiological factor remained unknown. In this group, in 7.5% of cases unilateral deafness was diagnosed accidentally, most often between the 7^th and 10^th year of age. The period of time which elapsed from the moment of occurrence of the symptoms of sudden deafness to the moment of its diagnosis and commencement of therapy was also taken into consideration.

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