sudden deafness


sudden deafness

a profound sensory hearing loss that develops in 24 hours or less; generally thought to be due to a viral infection in the inner ear.
See also: idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing impairment.

sudden deafness

Audiology An abrupt hearing loss that follows a known cause of deafness–eg, an explosion, viral infection, or use of certain drugs

sud·den deaf·ness

(sŭd'ĕn def'nĕs) A profound sensory hearing loss that develops in 24 hours or less; generally thought to be due to a viral infection in the inner ear.

sudden deafness

Deafness that occurs after an acute insult to the ear, e.g., after exposure to a toxin or medication (as from too high a dose of aminoglycosides), after a viral infection that damages the inner ear, or after blasts or head trauma.See also: deafness