Sensorineural hearing loss in lupus erythematosus

A 51-year-old woman had sudden profound sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) in her right ear, followed by profound SNHL in her left ear three weeks later. On subsequent work-up, a diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) was made on the basis of an antinuclear antibody titer of 1:500 and immunofluorescence below the dermis on skin and muscle biopsy specimens. Treatment with prednisone and cyclophosphamide did not improve the hearing loss. To our knowledge, this is the second reported case of SLE occurring with SNHL and the first reported case of bilateral hearing loss.