Sudden Deafness Treatment Trial

Inclusion Criteria

• Men/women 18 years and older in good health
• Unilateral sensorineural hearing loss developing within 72 hours (SSNHL)
• Pure Tone Average (PTA) (500, 1000, 2000, 4000 Hz) >/= 50 dB in the affected ear, with the affected ear >/= 30 dB worse than contralateral ear in at least one of the four frequencies
• Symmetric hearing prior to onset of SSNHL
• Hearing loss must be idiopathic
• Hearing loss must have occurred within the past 14 days
• Must be able to read or write English or Spanish

Exclusion Criteria

SYSTEMIC DISEASE

• >21 days prior oral steroid treatment within preceding 30 days
• History of tuberculosis (TB) or positive PPD
• Insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus
• History of rheumatic disease, e.g., rheumatoid arthritis, scleroderma, lupus, etc.
• Serious psychiatric disease or psychiatric reaction to corticosteroids
• History of heart disease or transient ischemic attacks (TIAs)
• Prior treatment with chemotherapeutic or immunosuppressive drugs
• Pancreatitis
• Active peptic ulcer disease or history of gastrointestinal bleeding
• History of HIV, Hepatitis B or C
• Chronic kidney failure
• Alcohol abuse
• Active shingles
• Severe osteoporosis or non-surgical aseptic necrosis of the hip

OTOLOGIC DISEASE

• Prior history of SSNHL
• History of fluctuating hearing loss
• History of Meniere's disease
• History of chronic ear infection
• History of otosclerosis
• History of ear surgery (except childhood pressure equalization [pe] tubes)
• History of congenital hearing loss
• History of trauma immediately preceding onset of SSNHL
• History of syphilitic hearing loss
• History of genetic/hereditary hearing loss
• Skull, facial, or temporal bone anomalies