Research reviews on Steroid treatment for hearing loss!Medical science is not unaware of steroid use being largely prescribed for sudden loss of hearing particularly sensorineural in nature. A number of researches have been carried out randomly since many years now, the result of which can be read in the issue of Archives of Otolaryngology, Head & neck surgery. In this, you will get to have a look at the systematic review and meta- analysis carried forth in sudden hearing impairment.

Ideally when this occurs, one undergoes a loss of atleast 30 decibles of hearing within test frequencies happening in three days. Though the treatment varies drastically from having herbs to vitamins to minerals, some authors have also went on to term the steroid therapy employed for the same as the gold treatment.

From news-medical.net:

Anne Elizabeth Conlin, B.A. & Sc., M.D., of the University of Ottawa, Ontario, and Lorne S. Parnes, M.D., F.R.C.S.C., of the University of Western Ontario, London, Canada, searched for all randomized clinical trials evaluating treatments for sudden hearing loss published between 1966 and 2006.

“To our knowledge, no valid randomized controlled trial exists to determine effective treatment of sudden sensorineural hearing loss,” they conclude. “Systemic steroids cannot be considered the gold standard of treatment of sudden sensorineural hearing loss, given the severe limitations of the landmark study supporting their use.”

Treating sudden hearing loss is difficult because its cause is often unknown, the authors note. However, it is still important to identify the therapy that most benefits the patient. “At present, sudden sensorineural hearing loss remains a medical emergency without a scientific understanding of its cause or a rational approach to its treatment,” they conclude.

The most prominent details about the same you’ll get to know in an article which has been cited as a landmark study particularly for the use of steroids. This is indeed not described as a random trial and thus might have produced exaggerated effects of the treatment as per the authors. The authors also suggested that this study employed inconsistent doses of steroids which did not measure the result for all participants.

Though the ambiguity about recommended use of steroid therapy still continues, there are still many clinical experts which do support the drug.

Comments