Migraine and Sudden Hearing Loss

ABSTRACT

On rare occasions, sudden hearing loss may be associated with a migraine. To our knowledge, there have only been two prior reports of sudden hearing loss attributed to migraines. A 40 years old man had suffered from recurrent headaches with hemiparesis, vertigo, and hearing loss for the past three years. At this time, he presented with severe bilateral sensorineural hearing loss of sudden onset, anarthria, right hemiplegia, tinnitus, and vertigo. An audiogram showed a down-sloping sensorineural hearing loss of 77dB by pure tone average on the right side and 72dB on the left. Sixteen days later, audiographic findings improved to 30dB of pure tone average on both sides. Vasospasm of the labyrinthine arteries instigated by migraine might explain these inner ear symptoms. A history of migraine should be sought in patients with sudden hearing loss and when found, anti-migraine medications such as calcium channel block-ers should be considered.