Acute sensorineural hearing loss associated with aortitis syndrome.

CONCLUSIONS

Steroid treatment was effective in improving hearing in most episodes in our and previously reported patients with acute hearing loss associated with aortitis syndrome. This suggests that inflammatory changes due to autoimmune responses may play an important role in the manifestation of hearing loss in aortitis syndrome.

OBJECTIVES

To clarify clinical features in patients with aortitis syndrome who exhibited hearing loss.

CASE REPORTS

We describe two patients, 39-year-old and 53-year old women, who developed several episodes of acute sensorineural hearing loss associated with aortitis syndrome.

RESULTS

In both patients, hearing loss involved the cochlea and hearing recovered following corticosteroid treatment. A literature review revealed that hearing loss was commonly manifested in middle-aged females and involved bilateral ears. Corticosteroid treatment was effective in improving hearing in most episodes in the previously reported cases as in our patients.