High-Dose Glucocorticoids for Treating Sudden Hearing Loss: Cart before the Horse?

Abstract

Hearing impairment is the most common sensory deficit. It affects 2 to 3 of 1000 newborns and nearly 50% of adults 75 years of age and older in the United States.¹ Idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSNHL) is characterized by an abrupt hearing loss requiring immediate diagnosis and treatment. Systemic glucocorticoids are widely used as the primary treatment for ISSNHL,² but no head-to-head comparisons of the effectiveness and risk profiles of high doses over a more commonly used lower dose of glucocorticoids have been conducted to inform standard-of-care practice.