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©2013 Baishideng. All rights reserved.
World J Otorhinolaryngol. Aug 28, 2013; 3(3): 42-57
Published online Aug 28, 2013. doi: 10.5319/wjo.v3.i3.42
Published online Aug 28, 2013. doi: 10.5319/wjo.v3.i3.42
Cause of idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss: The stress response theory
Masatsugu Masuda, Department of Otolaryngology, Kyorin University School of Medicine, 6-20-2 Shinkawa, Mitaka-shi, Tokyo 181-8611, Japan
Jin Kanzaki, Department of Otolaryngology, International University of Health and Welfare, 13-1 Higashikaiganncho, Atami-shi, Shizuoka 413-0012, Japan
Author contributions: Masuda M designed and wrote this paper; Kanzaki J gave an outline of this paper to Masuda M.
Supported by A grant from the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare and a Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists
Correspondence to: Masatsugu Masuda, MD, PhD, Department of Otolaryngology, Kyorin University School of Medicine, 6-20-2 Shinkawa, Mitaka-shi, Tokyo 181-8611, Japan. masoeur13@mac.com
Telephone: +81-422-425968 Fax: +81-422-425968
Received: April 20, 2013
Revised: June 14, 2013
Accepted: July 23, 2013
Published online: August 28, 2013
Revised: June 14, 2013
Accepted: July 23, 2013
Published online: August 28, 2013
Core Tip
Core tip: The present review focuses on the following four points. First, it summarizes etiologies proposed in the last decade to confirm what we know about the cause of idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISHL). Second, it reviews how systemic stressors affect the human body and the cochlea. Third, it reviews the characteristics of the lateral wall that show unique responses to systemic stressors. Finally, it reviews a relatively new concept about the cause of ISHL, the stress response theory, which integrates our knowledge of the cause of ISHL.