[The role of viral infection in sudden deafness (author's transl)]

A series of 35 patients with various degrees of sudden deafness were investigated in regard to recent or coexistent viral infection. The virological studies included 1) viral isolation by nasopharyngeal and faecal cultures; 2) viral serology for 20 different species of virus and the Paul Bunnel test; and 3) immunocomplex tests. In only two patients could a viral infection (a viral parotitis and an adenoviral infection) be proven (i.e. 6%). Immunocomplexes were found in 15 of 22 patients. Our studies, using conventional viral diagnostic tests, do not support the belief that viral infection is a common cause of sudden deafness. To solve the question whether viral infections play a part in the occurrence of sudden deafness these diagnostic aids must be complemented with modern immunological methods.