Viral infections in sudden hearing loss. Do we have enough evidence?

OBJECTIVE The aetiology of sudden deafness remains unknown even though some evidences suggest that it could be viral in origin. This study aimed to find out the relationship between viral infections and sudden sensorineural hearing loss. METHODS 32 patients presenting with sudden deafness and 10 healthy controls were included in the study. IgM antibodies to varicella zoster virus, measles, cytomegalovirus and herpes simplex virus were detected using micro ELISA. RESULTS Overall, 7(21.8%) patients showed seropositivity to one or more viruses. Virus specific IgM antibodies against measles and varicella zoster could be demonstrated in 4 (12.5%) and 3 (9.4%) patients respectively. None of the samples were found to be positive for herpes simplex virus (HSV) and human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) specific IgM antibodies. Controls were negative for all the viruses tested. The difference in seropositivity between the patient and control group was not statistically significant (p>0.05). CONCLUSION Thus, this study suggests that sudden deafness is not commonly associated with a systemic viral infection.