MM Carr DDS MD MEd

Congenital

• TORCHES infections
• Teratogens
• Perinatal hypoxia
• Prematurity
• Low birth weight
• Hyperbilirubinemia
• Inner ear dysplasia

Genetic

• Common disorders include:
  • Usher's syndrome
  • Alport's syndrome
  • Waardenburg's syndrome
  • Jervell-Lange-Nielsen syndrome
  • Otosclerosis

Infectious/Inflammatory

• Meningitis
• Chronic otitis media
• Syphilis
• Lyme disease
• Other viral diseases-HSV, HIV, CMV
• Tuberculosis

Autoimmune

• Systemic autoimmune disease-lupus, Wegener's granulomatosis, giant cell arteritis, polyarteritis nodosa
• Primary autoimmune ear disease

Neoplastic

• Temporal bone tumours (primary or metastatic)
• Acoustic neuroma

Traumatic

• Temporal bone fracture
• Perilymph fistula
• Barotrauma
• Noise exposure
• Radiation injury

Drugs

• Aminoglycosides-eg: gentamicin, streptomycin, tobramycin, neomycin etc.
• Antineoplastics
• Loop diuretics
• ASA
• Quinine
• Vancomycin
• Erythromycin

Vascular

• Hypertension
• Vertebrobasilar insufficiency
• Vascular occlusion/emboli
• Vasospasm
• Inner ear hemorrhage

Neural

• Multiple sclerosis

Metabolic

• Diabetes
• Hypothyroidism
• Hyperlipidemia

Other

• Meniere's disease
• Presbycusis
• Sudden idiopathic sensorineural hearing loss

References

Asher VA, Kveton JF. Clinical evaluation of hearing loss. In Hughes GB, Pensak ML. Clinical otology, 2nd edition. Thieme, NY, 1997.

Nadol JB. Hearing loss. NEJM 1993;329:1092-1102.

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