[Acute hearing loss caused by arterial hypotension]

The aim of this study was to confirm the hypothesis based on clinical observations of a causal relationship between arterial hypotension and sudden hearing loss of lower frequencies. A noninvasive system was used that enables repeated blood pressure measurements at programmable time intervals. With this method 24-hour blood pressure monitoring was performed on 81 patients with sudden inner ear hearing loss proved by audiological tests (and in part defined by magnetic resonance imaging). The profiles of the circadian blood pressures recorded actually revealed a significant incidence of low-frequency hearing loss of up to 30 dB HL in the patient group suffering from arterial hypotension compared to those showing normal blood pressure or hypertension. In the patient group designated arterial hypotension may be the probable cause for sudden hearing impairments and should be regarded as a circulatory disorder with certain implications for management.