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Neurotological findings in patients with acute mumps deafness
M Yamamoto1, Y Watanabe, K Mizukoshi
1Department of Otolaryngology, Faculty of Medicine, Toyama Medical and Pharmaceutical University, Japan.
Abstract:
We report the neurotological findings in 4 cases of acute stage hearing loss due to mumps. In 2 of the cases, the less severe hearing loss which occurred in the opposite ear was shown to have improved after therapy. If patients with mumps suffer from a mild hearing loss which recovers quickly, the temporary auditory problem might go undiagnosed; thus the incidence of mumps deafness might well be higher than that reported in the literature. Two of our patients complained of dizziness. In the caloric test, a reduced response of the ear with poorer hearing was found in 3 cases, and a normal caloric response was revealed in the fourth. In the galvanic body sway test (GBST), 3 cases showed a normal response bilaterally and one case presented a normal response bilaterally in the first test, no response in the right side in the second test, and recovery of response in the third test. These findings suggest that an inner ear disorder might occur in combination with a retrolabyrinthine disorder in mumps deafness, with the former lasting longer and the latter improving earlier.
Insights
Mumps can cause acute hearing loss and dizziness. Neurotological findings suggest inner ear and retrolabyrinthine disorders may co-occur, with inner ear issues persisting longer.
Area of Science:
- Otolaryngology
- Neurology
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- Mumps is a viral illness that can lead to neurotological complications.
- Hearing loss is a known, though often underreported, sequela of mumps.
- Acute hearing loss in mumps requires thorough neurotological evaluation.
Observation:
- Four cases of acute hearing loss due to mumps were assessed.
- Two patients experienced dizziness, indicating potential vestibular involvement.
- Caloric and galvanic body sway tests were performed to evaluate vestibular function.
Findings:
- Reduced caloric response was observed in the affected ear in 3 out of 4 cases.
- Galvanic body sway test revealed transient abnormalities in one patient.
- Hearing loss in the contralateral ear showed improvement with therapy in 2 cases.
Implications:
- Mumps-related hearing loss may be more prevalent than reported, especially mild, transient cases.
- Neurotological findings suggest a potential combination of inner ear (labyrinthine) and central (retrolabyrinthine) dysfunction.
- Inner ear disorders may have a longer duration, while retrolabyrinthine issues may resolve more quickly.