Temporospatial aggregation of three individuals with idiopathic sudden onset low-tone sensorineural hearing loss

Abstract

Objective

To report temporospatial aggregation of low-tone sudden onset sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) and provide plausible aetiological explanations.

Design

Retrospective analysis of records of patients, including medical notes, clinic letters, audiology reports, blood test and imaging results after occurrence of low-tone SSNHL.

Study sample

Three patients working in the same department and presenting with low-frequency SSNHL between March and July 2019.

Results

There was complete symptom resolution in two of the three cases, one treated with oral and one with intratympanic steroid administration, whereas low-tone SSNHL persisted in the third case. Probability of events occurring randomly was calculated and it was suggested that the three cases were highly unlikely to be independent events.

Conclusions

This is the first report of temporospatial aggregation of acute low-tone idiopathic SSNHL. Our findings support that an environmental or transmissible agent could underlie aetiology in at least a proportion of such cases.

Keywords:

• Hearing loss
• sensorineural hearing loss
• aggregation
• idiopathic hearing loss

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).