Acute sensorineural hearing loss associated with aortitis syndrome.
CONCLUSIONS
Steroid treatment was effective in improving hearing in most episodes in our and previously reported patients with acute hearing loss associated with aortitis syndrome. This suggests that inflammatory changes due to autoimmune responses may play an important role in the manifestation of hearing loss in aortitis syndrome.


OBJECTIVE
To clarify clinical features in patients with aortitis syndrome who exhibited hearing loss.


METHODS
We describe two patients, 39-year-old and 53-year old women, who developed several episodes of acute sensorineural hearing loss associated with aortitis syndrome.


RESULTS
In both patients, hearing loss involved the cochlea and hearing recovered following corticosteroid treatment. A literature review revealed that hearing loss was commonly manifested in middle-aged females and involved bilateral ears. Corticosteroid treatment was effective in improving hearing in most episodes in the previously reported cases as in our patients.
Yasui
Takuya
T
Department of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
Yamasoba
Tatsuya
T
D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001025:Aortitis / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy; D001301:Audiometry, Pure-Tone; D005260:Female; D006312:Hearing Loss, Bilateral / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013577:Syndrome; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents