High-dose steroids to help with hearing loss

PEOPLE with sudden hearing loss will be given high- dose steroids in a trial to determine whether this is better than an existing treatment.

Sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSHL) is a rapid loss of hearing, usually in one ear, that occurs instantly or over several days, making normal speech sound like a whisper.

Around 200 people will take part in the trial at the University of Colorado in the U.S. Some of the group will be given high doses of steroids (dexamethasone) — drugs that reduce inflammation — and others will be given steroids (prednisone) in lower doses.

The researchers believe that ‘patients who have high doses of oral steroids will show better hearing outcomes’.