Biomaterial Database

Sudden bilateral sensorineural hearing loss following speedballing. 2008

Cynthia G Fowler, and Jennifer L King

Department of Communicative Disorders, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA. cgfowler@wisc.edu

BACKGROUND Hearing loss is an infrequently-reported consequence of recreational drug abuse. Although there are sporadic reports of hearing loss from heroin and cocaine ingested separately, there are no reports of hearing loss resulting from the combination of both drugs ingested simultaneously in the form of speedballing. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this report is to document a case of bilateral sensorineural hearing loss associated with an episode of speedballing. METHODS Case Report. METHODS The subject of this report was a 40-year-old man with a 20-year history of substance abuse. Data collected included a case history, pure tone audiometry, tympanometry and acoustic reflexes, and transient evoked otoacoustic emissions. RESULTS The audiologic evaluation indicated a mild to moderate, relatively flat, bilateral sensorineural hearing loss that was worse in the right ear. CONCLUSIONS A bilateral sensorineural hearing loss involving both cochlear and neural pathology may be a rare complication of cocaine, heroin, or the combination of the two drugs.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008297	Male		Males
D012022	Reflex, Acoustic	Intra-aural contraction of tensor tympani and stapedius in response to sound.	Acoustic Reflex
D003042	Cocaine	An alkaloid ester extracted from the leaves of plants including coca. It is a local anesthetic and vasoconstrictor and is clinically used for that purpose, particularly in the eye, ear, nose, and throat. It also has powerful central nervous system effects similar to the amphetamines and is a drug of abuse. Cocaine, like amphetamines, acts by multiple mechanisms on brain catecholaminergic neurons; the mechanism of its reinforcing effects is thought to involve inhibition of dopamine uptake.	Cocaine HCl,Cocaine Hydrochloride,HCl, Cocaine,Hydrochloride, Cocaine
D003639	Hearing Loss, Sudden	Sensorineural hearing loss which develops suddenly over a period of hours or a few days. It varies in severity from mild to total deafness. Sudden deafness can be due to head trauma, vascular diseases, infections, or can appear without obvious cause or warning.	Deafness, Sudden,Sudden Deafness,Sudden Hearing Loss
D003932	Heroin	A narcotic analgesic that may be habit-forming. It is a controlled substance (opium derivative) listed in the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations, Title 21 Parts 329.1, 1308.11 (1987). Sale is forbidden in the United States by Federal statute. (Merck Index, 11th ed)	Diacetylmorphine,Diamorphine,Diacetylmorphine Hydrochloride,Diagesil,Diamorf,Heroin Hydrochloride,Min-I-Jet Morphine Sulphate,Hydrochloride, Diacetylmorphine,Hydrochloride, Heroin,Min I Jet Morphine Sulphate
D003937	Diagnosis, Differential	Determination of which one of two or more diseases or conditions a patient is suffering from by systematically comparing and contrasting results of diagnostic measures.	Diagnoses, Differential,Differential Diagnoses,Differential Diagnosis
D004357	Drug Synergism	The action of a drug in promoting or enhancing the effectiveness of another drug.	Drug Potentiation,Drug Augmentation,Augmentation, Drug,Augmentations, Drug,Drug Augmentations,Drug Potentiations,Drug Synergisms,Potentiation, Drug,Potentiations, Drug,Synergism, Drug,Synergisms, Drug
D006312	Hearing Loss, Bilateral	Partial hearing loss in both ears.	Deafness Bilateral,Bilateral Deafness,Bilateral Hearing Loss,Bilateral Hearing Losses,Bilateral, Deafness,Bilaterals, Deafness,Deafness Bilaterals,Deafness, Bilateral,Loss, Bilateral Hearing
D006556	Heroin Dependence	Strong dependence or addiction, both physiological and emotional, upon HEROIN.	Heroin Abuse,Heroin Addiction,Heroin Smoking,Abuse, Heroin,Addiction, Heroin,Dependence, Heroin,Heroin Smokings,Smoking, Heroin
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man