Deafness in patients with multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a demyelinating disease and is considered the most debilitating neurological disorder among young adults. Sudden deafness has been reported in MS patients. This article describes cases of sudden deafness related to acute bouts in MS patients. A survey was conducted using 405 records of MS patients attended to at a reference center in the city of Rio de Janeiro between 2011 and 2012 to identify cases of sudden deafness. Seven patients were identified, 6 with a relapsing-remitting course and 1 with progressive disease at onset. Five patients had unilateral deafness and 2 bilateral. The recovery was complete in 4 and partial in 1, and there was no recovery in 2 patients. It was not possible to establish a topographical correlation between deafness and brainstem lesions. Audiometric examinations revealed severe hearing loss during the bout and recovery of hearing in 5 cases after remission.