Recently, the report of famous singer Wu Kequn suffering from "sudden deafness" triggered the Internet, and fans left messages to express their concern and wish him a speedy recovery. But in fact, "sudden deafness" is a disease that is both strange and familiar to most people. How serious is it? Can it be cured? How to prevent it? Let’s learn about it today.
"Sudden deafness" is what we often call sudden deafness, referred to as sudden deafness . This is a disease of sudden hearing loss or loss. It is completely different from hearing loss caused by otitis media and trauma tympanic membrane. Most people have no signs of illness. Maybe you have not caught a cold, were injured, and had no ear pain before, but suddenly one day when you wake up, you find that one of your ears can’t hear it!
The incidence of sudden deafness has increased significantly in recent years. According to a set of data from Japan, the incidence rate of this disease was 3.9 people/100,000 in 1972, 14.2 people/100,000 in 1987, 19.4 people/100,000 in 1993, and 27.5 people/100,000 in 2001; while a set of data from Germany showed that the incidence rate was 20 people/100,000 in 2004, and the incidence rate soared to 1.6 million to 400 people/100,000 in 2011. Obviously, this incidence is increasing year by year. At present, there is still a lack of epidemiological data on this large sample of this type of epidemiological data in China, but judging from my daily outpatient experience, there are indeed more and more patients suffering from sudden deafness. Why does
suddenly become deaf?
Wu Kequn was sick and reported that "For a while, he often suffered from insomnia and felt very tired every day. He suspected that it was caused by excessive stress... When he first found out that he had tinnitus, he mistakenly thought that it was just too much earwax, which caused him to be unable to hear the sound..." Fatigue and high stress can affect the body's normal immunity. Many diseases are prone to breeding in high-intensity work, but the causes of sudden deafness are generally not just fatigue and high stress. Unfortunately, the cause and pathophysiological mechanism of this disease cannot be fully explained in the medical community. It is generally believed that vascular diseases, viral infections, autoimmune diseases, infectious diseases, tumors, etc. may be the main causes of this disease, and mental tension, stress, mood swings, irregular life, sleep disorders, etc. may be the causes of sudden deafness. Some people compare deafness to the ear " stroke " and it seems that there is some truth. As we all know, a "stroke" in the cerebral blood vessels may cause consciousness disorders and hemiplegia, and this "stroke" occurs in the blood vessels of the inner ear, which may cause deafness.
So, if you or someone around you get this disease, don’t ask the doctor what exactly caused it, because the doctor really can’t answer. However, the patient himself can compare the above items and check for the possible reasons.
What are the symptoms of sudden deafness?
The sudden hearing loss in
is definitely the first reaction of the patient. In addition, about 90% of patients will have tinnitus, about 50% of patients will have ear swelling, about 30% of patients will have dizziness or dizziness, and some patients will have auditory allergies (it is uncomfortable to hear any sound, even if you speak softly) or heavy listening (auditative distortion), abnormal peri-ear sensation, anxiety, etc. The more symptoms you have, the more painful the patient will feel.
Can sudden deafness be cured?
What I want to tell you the most is that once this disease is discovered, it must be treated in time! When many people first find hearing abnormalities, they think that the earwax is blocked, or they think that they have not had good sleep, and they may get better after resting... We encountered many such patients in the outpatient clinic, which makes a disease that can be treated so much that the doctor can helplessly.
latest version of the guide ① reminds you that the effect of sudden deafness treatment is related to the following factors:
The earlier the treatment starts, the better the effect;
low frequency reduction treatment is good, and the effect of total deafness and high frequency reduction is poor;
the heavier hearing loss degree, the worse the effect;
is completely deaf or close to total deafness at the beginning, and the effect is poor;
low frequency hearing loss is prone to recurrence;
low frequency hearing loss is prone to recur;
with dizziness is not effective.
has formed certain standards for the treatment of sudden deafness. The general treatment plan is oral or intravenous infusion of glucocorticoids (hormones are not frightening animals, don’t be afraid), blood dilution, improve blood flow, and reduce viscosity, nourish nerves, and antioxidant. The efficacy of hyperbaric oxygen therapy is still controversial at home and abroad, and it is not necessary to be the first choice, but if the above-mentioned drugs are not effective, they can be used as a remedy. For patients with poor final treatment effect, after hearing loss is stable, hearing aids or hearing assist devices such as cochlear implants and can be used according to the degree of hearing loss. Although hearing aids and cochlear implants are not so easy to accept, they do make you hear, which is a relatively common thing abroad.
How to prevent sudden deafness?
1. It is very important to develop good living habits
Avoid long-term fatigue, reduce stress reasonably, and maintain a good attitude; try to avoid smoking and drinking.
2. Do everything possible to enhance your physical fitness
For example, maintain regular physical activities, eat diverse and light and reasonable. The body is the capital of revolution, and only by being strong can one resist the destruction of the outside world.
3. Avoid long-term exposure to noise
People who need to work in a noise environment for a long time should wear protective equipment such as earplugs. For students who use embedded headphones for a long time, they must pay attention to controlling the volume and the time of continuous use. Once ear discomfort occurs, they should be suspended.
4. Use drugs with ototoxicity with caution
Many drugs are ototoxic, such as some aminoglycoside antibiotics (streptomycin, gentamicin, kanamycin , neomycin, etc.), non-aminoglycoside antibiotics (vancomycin, erythromycin, etc.), antitumor drugs ( surumarin , vincristine , etc.), diuretics (frequenturetic, uric acid, etc.), antipyretic analgesics (salicylic acid preparations, etc.). This type of drug is not that it cannot be used, but should be used reasonably under the guidance of a doctor; and more importantly, it is to remind everyone not to use medicine at will (especially for infants and young children). In China, drug-induced deafness accounts for 30%-40% of deaf children, and drug-induced deafness has become one of the main causes of deaf children in my country.
5. Actively treat basic diseases that have been discovered
If you find high blood lipids or abnormal blood sugar during physical examination, you must listen to the doctor's words and make further clarification. Those who need medication should be treated in a timely manner.
References
Chinese Journal of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Chinese Medical Association Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery Branch. Guidelines for Diagnosis and Treatment of Sudden Deafness (2015). Chinese Journal of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, 2015, 50(06): 443-447
Author: Gong Xuanmin, Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery
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