People with SSNHL risk depressive disorders
A study shows that people suffering from sudden sensorineural hearing loss are 2.17 times more at risk for depressive disorders than individuals who had never suffered from SSNHL. The study also found that people younger than the age of 60 have the highest risk of developing depressive disorders if they are suffering from SSNHL.
What is sudden sensorineural hearing loss?
Sudden sensorineural hearing loss is defined as a loss of hearing in three contiguous frequencies occurring within a few days. SSNHL may occur overnight or hit you at any time of the day. SSNHL can strike at any age, but it is most common in people who have reached their fifties.
Causes of sudden sensorineural hearing loss
The causes of sudden sensorineural hearing loss vary. Among the many possible causes for this sudden loss of hearing are viral infections, vascular disorders and head trauma affecting hair cells, eardrums or bones. A long list of prescription drugs as well as idiopathic or immunological disorders, development abnormalities and a variety of tumours in the ear are also believed to possibly cause sudden sensorineural hearing loss.
If you experience a sudden loss of hearing, you should consider it as a true emergency of the ear and immediately have your condition assessed and the causes investigated by a hearing specialist.
About the study
A total of 1717 SSNHL people and a control group of 6868 individuals without SSNHL participated in the study. The study was based on data from the National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) in Taiwan.
Source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov