Sudden bilateral hearing loss after organophosphate inhalation

Mehmet Akif Dundar; Serhan Derin; Mitat Aricigil; Mehmet Akif Eryilmaz

doi:10.1016/j.tjem.2016.04.003

Mehmet Akif Dundar¹, Serhan Derin², Mitat Aricigil¹, Mehmet Akif Eryilmaz¹

¹Necmettin Erbakan University, Meram Medical Faculty, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Turkey
²Mugla Sitki Kocman University, School of Medicine, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Mugla, Turkey

Keywords: Organophosphates; Hearing loss; Sudden

Abstract

Sudden bilateral hearing loss are seen rarely and the toxic substance exposure constitutes a small part of etiology. A Fifty-eight-year-old woman admitted to our clinic with sudden bilateral hearing loss shortly after chlorpyrifos-ethyl exposure. Otolaryngologic examination findings were normal. The patient had 40 dB sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) on the right ear and 48 dB SNHL on the left ear. Additional diagnostic tests were normal. The conventional treatment for sudden hearing loss was performed. On the second week following organophosphate (OP) exposure the patient's hearing loss almost completely resolved. OP's are heavily used in agriculture and should be taken into consideration as an etiologic factor in sudden hearing loss.