Magnesium treatment for sudden hearing loss

Area of Science:

• Otolaryngology
• Neuroscience
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Noise-induced hearing loss is often mitigated by magnesium treatment.
• The potential of magnesium to improve hearing in acute-onset hearing loss remains under investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the efficacy of magnesium as an adjunct to steroid therapy for idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss.
• To evaluate the impact of magnesium on hearing threshold shifts in patients with acute hearing loss.

Main Methods:

• A prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted.
• 28 patients with idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss were enrolled.
• Participants received either steroids plus oral magnesium or steroids plus a placebo.

Main Results:

• The magnesium-treated group showed a significantly higher proportion of patients with improved hearing (>10 dB) across all tested frequencies.
• A significantly greater mean improvement in hearing was observed in the magnesium group compared to the placebo group.
• Individual data analysis confirmed more substantial hearing improvements in magnitude and number of patients in the magnesium group.

Conclusions:

• Magnesium serves as a safe and effective adjunct to steroid treatment for sudden sensorineural hearing loss.
• Magnesium supplementation notably enhances hearing recovery, especially in the low-tone frequency range.
• The findings support the use of magnesium to improve audiological outcomes in sudden sensorineural hearing loss patients.