Hypotension as an isolated factor may not be sufficient to provoke hearing impairment

Abstract

An induced and controlled steady hypotension under general anaesthesia did not affect the hearing function of any of the patients. It may be supposed, therefore, that an adverse effect on the cochlear oxygenation is more likely to be caused by the sympathetic changes induced by a consistent decrease of blood pressure rather than to hypotension itself.

Primary vascular dysregulation syndrome: Possible implications for inner ear acute diseases?

“…Indeed, starting from considering a primary role for hypotension, even if accompanied by an underlying abnormal vasoregulation (7-9), this aspect was separately analyzed revealing all its importance (10). The importance of the autonomic regulation has been outlined elsewhere from a theoretical point of view (11,12) and supported by some clinical observations (13,14).…”

Sensorineural hearing loss in pregnancy: an alternative, simpler possible explanation

“…The consideration that SSHL often involves young and healthy subjects, led to the hypothesis that in some instances an apparently ''idiopathic'' origin could be represented by hypotension episodes followed by an abnormal vasomotor reaction [2]. This hypothesis, which was also supported by experimental models [3,4], was subsequently confirmed by studies both on healthy subjects [5,6] and on cardiovascular patients [7,8]. This explains a possible origin of some cases of SSHL previously labelled ''idiopathic''.…”

“…Otherwise healthy sufferers from SSHL revealed lower blood pressure levels than the control group [5]. The importance of an autonomic dysregulation was outlined [6]. Patients with hypertension under antihypertensive therapy had a far more prominent prevalence of tinnitus when submitted to an ''aggressive'' treatment to lower their pressure values [7].…”

Omega-3 fatty acids: A promising possible treatment for Meniere’s Disease and other inner ear disorders of unknown origin?

“…According to the theoretical model that our group developed and tested over the years, a possible cause could be identified in systemic hemodynamic changes followed by an abnormal peripheral vasoconstriction: the latter could be responsible for a more or less prolonged ischemia able to threaten a highly energy-requiring and complicated organ as the inner ear [1][2][3][4]. When considering this pathogenic interpretation, the initial trigger can be represented by an abrupt lowering of systemic blood pressure; actually, a tendency to this behaviour was found in ambulatory measurement of the 24 h values in subjects with a history of sudden hearing loss, regardless of the involved frequencies [3]; on the other hand, tinnitus-prone healthy subjects were hypothesized [5] and subsequently proved to have structural echocardiographic characteristics suggesting a less efficient cardiac activity even within normal parameters [6].…”