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Ear problems
Hearing loss worse on the right
Ringing in the ears
Spinning feeling
Hearing impairment
Hard of hearing in both ears but more on one side
Have tinnitus
Not seeing your symptoms? No worries!
What is Sudden Hearing Loss?
Hearing loss that occurs acutely is known as sudden hearing loss. Sudden nerve hearing loss (sudden sensorineural hearing loss) may be due to viral infections, medications, or underlying systemic inflammatory conditions. These can be medical urgencies as they can be reversed with prompt medical attention. Sudden conductive hearing loss may be due viral upper respiratory infections (URIs) resulting in fluid in the middle ear or may be due to obstructing ear wax.
Typical Symptoms of Sudden Hearing Loss
- Difficulty hearing in one or both ears
- Stressed over daily life
- I feel like I'm spinning around / vertigo
- I experience tinnitus or other noises in my ears
- Significant difference in hearing difficulty between my left and right ear
- Dizziness
- High-pitched tinnitus / ringing sounds in the ear
- Mental stress and physical fatigue
Diagnostic Questions for Sudden Hearing Loss
Your doctor may ask these questions to check for this disease:
- Are you experiencing difficulty hearing in one or both ears?
- Do you feel stressed or unhappy about going to work or school?
- Do you feel like your surroundings are spinning?
- Do you experience tinnitus or other noises in your ears?
- Is there a big difference in your hearing between your left and right ear?
Treatment of Sudden Hearing Loss
Sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) may require oral steroid medications or even steroids injected directly into the middle ear space. Importantly, the earlier the steroids are administered, the higher the chance of reversing the hearing loss. Some hearing loss may be permanent and may require hearing aids or implanted hearing devices (cochlear implants).
Reviewed By:
Eric A. Gantwerker, MD, MMSC (Otolaryngology (ENT))
Pediatric Otolaryngologist at Northwell Health and Associate Professor of Otolaryngology at Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell. He holds a Master of Medical Science (MMSc) in Medical Education with a special focus on educational technology, educational research, and game-based learning from Harvard Medical School and a Master of Science in Physiology and Biophysics from Georgetown University. He has a special interest in faculty development and has been a speaker or faculty at hundreds of local, national, and international courses and conferences. He is also an active blogger and podcaster for several organizations, including the Harvard Macy Institute (HMI), Harvard Medical School CME Online, and BackTable Innovations. He has been featured in the news and print for media outlets such as USA Today, Businesswire, The Washington Post, Nature Medicine, Fox News, and KevinMD. He was also the Vice President, Medical Director of a medical video game company, Level Ex from 2018 to 2023 that utilized game technology and psychology to create interactive experiences for healthcare professionals. | He is recognized as an expert on the implementation of educational technologies and gaming with a foundation in educational theory for health professions education. He was honored to be inducted as an Associate Member of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Academy of Master Surgeon Educators and as an Associate Fellow of the Association for Medical Education in Europe (AMEE).
Rohini R, MD (Otolaryngology (ENT))
Dr. Rohini R is an ENT, Head and Neck Surgeon, with a Fellowship in Advanced Endoscopic Sinus and Skull Base Surgery and a Fellowship in Aesthetic Medicine and Lasers. Besides clinical practice and working with Ubie, she is actively training and mentoring medical students and residents. She has functioned in various work settings - teaching hospitals, private and free health centers, and worked with patients from all socioeconomic backgrounds due to her experience in free hospitals and volunteering in India and Singapore.
Content updated on Mar 31, 2024
Following the Medical Content Editorial Policy
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People with similar symptoms also use Ubie's symptom checker to find possible causes
- Hearing issues
- Hearing loss worse on the left
- Can't hear things properly
- Tingling in the ears
- Hearing loss worse on one side than the other
- Deafness
- Deafness worse on one side
- Have trouble hearing
- High pitched ringing
- Can't hear well on both sides but one side (left / right) is worse
- Low frequency hearing
- Low frequency buzzing in the ear
- Tinnitus can be heard on one side only
- Ringing in my right ear
- Buzzing in left ear
See full list
Symptoms Related to Sudden Hearing Loss
Diseases Related to Sudden Hearing Loss
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Which is the best Symptom Checker?
Ubie’s symptom checker demonstrated a Top-10 hit accuracy of 71.6%, surpassing the performance of several leading symptom checkers in the market, which averaged around 60% accuracy in similar assessments.
Link to full study:
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.08.29.24312810v1References
Chandrasekhar SS, Tsai Do BS, Schwartz SR, Bontempo LJ, Faucett EA, Finestone SA, Hollingsworth DB, Kelley DM, Kmucha ST, Moonis G, Poling GL, Roberts JK, Stachler RJ, Zeitler DM, Corrigan MD, Nnacheta LC, Satterfield L. Clinical Practice Guideline: Sudden Hearing Loss (Update). Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2019 Aug;161(1_suppl):S1-S45. doi: 10.1177/0194599819859885. PMID: 31369359.
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0194599819859885Chen X, Fu YY, Zhang TY. Role of viral infection in sudden hearing loss. J Int Med Res. 2019 Jul;47(7):2865-2872. doi: 10.1177/0300060519847860. Epub 2019 May 27. PMID: 31130031; PMCID: PMC6683896.
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0300060519847860Prince ADP, Stucken EZ. Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss: A Diagnostic and Therapeutic Emergency. J Am Board Fam Med. 2021 Jan-Feb;34(1):216-223. doi: 10.3122/jabfm.2021.01.200199. PMID: 33452100.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33452100/Marx M, Younes E, Chandrasekhar SS, Ito J, Plontke S, O'Leary S, Sterkers O. International consensus (ICON) on treatment of sudden sensorineural hearing loss. Eur Ann Otorhinolaryngol Head Neck Dis. 2018 Feb;135(1S):S23-S28. doi: 10.1016/j.anorl.2017.12.011. Epub 2018 Feb 1. PMID: 29396226.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29396226/