Can hydrogen therapy help with sudden hearing loss?

Research suggests hydrogen inhalation therapy may help treat sudden hearing loss by improving blood flow to the inner ear and protecting cells from damage. However, more clinical studies are needed to confirm its effectiveness.

What causes sudden sensorineural hearing loss?

Sudden hearing loss is primarily caused by blood flow problems in the inner ear, particularly blockages in the labyrinthine artery. Cardiovascular risk factors like diabetes and high blood pressure increase the risk.

How does hydrogen inhalation work for hearing problems?

Hydrogen gas may help by reducing inflammation and protecting inner ear cells when blood flow is restored after a blockage. It acts as an antioxidant to prevent further damage to hearing cells.

Is hydrogen therapy safe for hearing loss patients?

Hydrogen inhalation therapy appears to be safe with no significant side effects reported in studies. However, patients should consult with their doctor before starting any new treatment.

How quickly must sudden hearing loss be treated?

Sudden hearing loss requires immediate medical attention, ideally within 72 hours of onset. Delayed treatment significantly reduces the chances of hearing recovery.

Sudden Hearing Loss Linked to Blood Flow Problems - Hydrogen Therapy Shows Promise

Authors: Nobuyoshi Tzuzuki, Koichiro Wasano
Journal: Auris, Nasus, Larynx
Year: 2024
DOI: 10.1016/j.anl.2024.05.009
Study Type: clinical
Peer Reviewed: Yes
Country: Japan
Health Condition: Idiopathic Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss
Body System: Auditory

TL;DR

When someone suddenly loses their hearing for no clear reason, it's usually because blood isn't getting to the right parts of their ear—kind of like a mini-stroke in the ear. Right now, doctors don't have a proven best treatment for this problem, so scientists are working to find better ways to diagnose it and help people get their hearing back.

Key Finding

Sudden unexplained hearing loss is likely caused by blood vessel problems in the inner ear, and patients with this condition show higher rates of stroke risk factors like diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease compared to the general population.

Summary

This review examines sudden hearing loss with no clear cause (idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss), focusing on how blood vessel problems in the inner ear may trigger it. The authors explain the anatomy of the inner ear's blood supply, discuss how blood clots or reduced blood flow can damage hearing, and review various treatments—including hydrogen inhalation—though they note that none of these treatments have strong scientific evidence supporting them yet.

Practical Takeaway

While this review mentions hydrogen inhalation as one of several experimental treatments for sudden hearing loss caused by blood vessel problems, it explicitly states there is currently no evidence-based treatment for this condition. This is a literature review, not a clinical trial, so it cannot demonstrate whether hydrogen therapy is actually effective. Anyone experiencing sudden hearing loss should seek immediate medical evaluation rather than relying on unproven treatments.

Abstract

Idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSNHL) is characterized by abruptly appearing hearing loss, sometimes accompanied by vertigo. Vascular pathologies (e.g., cochlear ischemia, or cochlear infarction) are one of the most likely causes of ISSNHL. This review aims to present current understanding of inner ear anatomy, clinical features of ISSNHL, and its treatment strategies. The labyrinthine artery is the only end artery supplying blood to the inner ear, and it has three branches: the anterior vestibular artery, the main cochlear artery, and the vestibulo-cochlear artery (VCA). Occlusion of the VCA can be caused by a variety of factors. The VCA courses through a narrow bone canal. ISSNHL is usually diagnosed after excluding retrocochlear pathologies of sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL), such as vestibular schwannoma. Therefore, a head MRI or assessing auditory brainstem responses are recommended for patients with SSNHL. Severe SSNHL patients with high CHADS2 scores, an index of stroke risk, have a significantly lower rate of vestibular schwannoma than severe SSNHL patients with low CHADS2 scores, suggesting that severe ISSNHL in individuals at high risk of stroke is caused by vascular impairments. Intralabyrinthine hemorrhage causes SSNHL or vertigo, as in ISSNHL. The diagnosis of intralabyrinthine hemorrhage requires careful interpretation of MRI, and a small percentage of patients diagnosed with ISSNHL may in fact have intralabyrinthine hemorrhage. Many studies have reported an association between ISSNHL and atherosclerosis or cardiovascular risk factors (e.g., diabetes mellitus, hypertension, dyslipidemia and cardiovascular disease), and subsequent risk of stroke in patients with ISSNHL may be elevated compared to controls. Increased hearing level on the healthy ear side, high Framingham risk score, high neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, high platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio, and severe white matter lesions may be poor prognostic factors for patients with ISSNHL. The association between thrombosis-related genes and susceptibility to ISSNHL has been reported in many studies (e.g., coagulation factor 2, coagulation factor 5, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, platelet-associated genes, a homocysteine metabolism-related enzyme gene, endothelin-1, nitric oxide 3, phosphodiesterase 4D, complement factor H, and protein kinase C-eta). Treatment of ISSNHL with the aim of mitigating the vascular impairment in the inner ear includes systemically administered steroids, intratympanic steroid injections, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, prostaglandin E1, defibrinogenation therapy, and hydrogen inhalation therapy, but there is currently no evidence-based treatment for ISSNHL. Breakthroughs in the unequivocal diagnosis and treatment of ISSNHL due to vascular impairment are crucial to improve quality of life.