1. Autoimmune Inner Ear Disease (AIED) Defined
Autoimmune inner ear disease may happen when the immune system within your body begins to attack the inner ear causing damage to your hearing, and possibly, the nerve that affects balance. This is caused by the fact that in an affected person, the body has an allergy-type reaction causing the immune system to produce substances that help to fight the allergy in otherwise normal persons. This autoimmune type response happens without knowing why it occurs in some cases and may cause hearing loss to increase rapidly over the course of several weeks or months.
2. Knowing the Signs and Symptoms of AIED
Some people who develop AIED have symptoms that show variable hearing loss, lightheadedness with dizziness, tinnitus, which are a ringing type noise and a feeling of fullness in the ear. Usually the hearing loss experienced progresses at a much greater rate than other types of hearing disorders or can even occur with extreme suddenness or bluntness over the course of months and even years.
3. Tests That Identify AIED
Diagnosing AIED is not very easy. It can be arrived at by the finding the of actual nerve deafness happening over the course of time. There are some blood tests which can help to determine if the body is producing larger amounts of antibodies, which is indicative of an over active immune system. Having a hearing exam can also help with identification of AIED. This test measures the actual hearing abilities of a person by monitoring sound detection of various pitches. This test may not always be reliable, because it depends on the person being tested raising their hands to indicate that they heard the pitch or push a button when the tone is heard.
4. Tuning Forks Aren't Just for Tuning
A helpful test is performed by hitting a tuning fork and putting it directly on the skin in the middle of the person's forehead. If there is sensorineural hearing loss, the tuning fork's sound will be heard in the unaffected ear more than in the affected ear. With normal hearing function, the noise will be felt in the middle of the forehead.
5. Treatment
Oral Prednisone, a steroid, is given if there is a reason to suspect AIED. If the symptoms appear to be getting better after taking the prescribed Prednisone, then you must consider the possibility of sensorineural hearing loss and have further assessment for evaluation and treatment.
