Bilateral sudden deafness and acute acquired toxoplasmosis

An 18-year-old woman, while suffering from acute acquired toxoplasmosis, experienced sudden deafness and a total loss of vestibular function first in the right ear and three months later also in the left. Following treatment with sulphadiazine and pyrimethamine, hearing was retrieved to such a degree that the patient was enabled to communicate by means of a body-worn hearing aid and lip-reading. Taking the differential diagnostic possibilities into account, we believe that toxoplasmosis was the cause of the severe hearing loss. Since effective treatment seems to be available, we recommend that patients with acute bilateral sensorineural hearing loss of unknown origin are examined for acute toxoplasmosis with a view to instituting chemotherapy.