Late recovery with cyclosporine-A of an auto-immune sudden sensorineural hearing loss.
Sensorineural hearing loss of immune-mediated origin may be present as a symptom in systemic autoimmune diseases or may occur as a primary disorder without other organ involvement (auto-immune inner ear disease). The diagnosis of auto-immune inner ear disease is still predicated on clinical features and to date specific diagnostic tests are not available. We report a case of right-sided sudden hearing loss in a female patient in which the clinical manifestations, in addition to ANA positivity and hypocomplementaemia allowed us to hypothesize an auto-immune inner ear disease. The immunosuppressive treatment with cyclosporine-A was capable of a recovery of the hearing that, however, occurred progressively with normalization of the hearing function after 1 year of treatment. cyclosporine-A could be proposed as a therapeutic option in case of auto-immune inner ear disease allowing the suspension of corticosteroids that, at high dose, expose patients to potentially serious adverse events.
Section of Allergology and Clinical Immunology, Department of Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, University of Bari Medical School, Italy. elisabettadl@alice.it
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E
Di Leo
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Coppola
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E
Nettis
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Vacca
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Quaranta
D000328:Adult; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D016572:Cyclosporine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology*; D003639:Hearing Loss, Sudden / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012074:Remission Induction; D013997:Time Factors
D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents; D016572:Cyclosporine