Diseases of the inner ear | Diseases of the ear

Diseases of the inner ear

In ENT, a sudden hearing loss is defined as a reduction or loss of hearing in one ear without any identifiable cause. It is a sudden phenomenon that usually occurs out of complete freedom from symptoms. Risk factors include obesity, high blood pressure, smoking and above all stress.

The therapy of sudden hearing loss usually consists of the administration of high-dose cortisone preparations. Other approaches involve the administration of vitamin C or oxygen. The causes for a circulatory disorder of the ear are the same as in other parts of the body.

Pre-existing conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure affect not only the large vessels but also the vessels in the ear. The symptoms are often noises in the ear or hearing loss. If the organ of equilibrium is affected, dizzy spells can occur.

Meniere’s disease is a disease of the inner ear, in which it leads to an increased accumulation of fluid in the inner ear. The typical symptoms are tinnitus, unilateral hearing loss and rotary vertigo. Since the exact cause of the disease is not yet sufficiently understood, therapy is also difficult.

In general, a healthy lifestyle and a reduction of stress, alcohol and nicotine consumption are recommended. Hearing loss is divided into conductive (cause in the middle ear) or sensorineural hearing loss (cause in the inner ear or auditory nerve). The hearing loss is examined by audiometry.

Here the currently audible sound threshold is determined for different frequencies. Further diagnostics for the cause of the hearing loss are then carried out. With increasing age, a certain degree of hearing loss is normal and is called presbyacusis (age-related hearing loss).

Tinnitus refers to the presence of persistent ringing in the ears that cannot be heard from the outside and which originates in the ear or the hearing organ. They are often very stressful for the affected person and can manifest themselves as whistling, beeping or humming. Nothing precise is known about the causes.

However, factors such as stress and overload do play a role. Therapeutically, blood circulation-enhancing drugs and cortisone are used, which is expected to improve the symptoms. Regarding the prognosis it can be said that in a large part of the affected persons the tinnitus heals by itself.