Autoimmune inner ear disease (AIED)

Abstract

Autoimmune inner ear disease (AIED) is probably a rare disease accounting for less than 1% all cases of hearing impairment or dizziness, but its incidence might be overlooked because of the lack of specific diagnostic test. Many cases are analogous to rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis in that inner ear inflammation progresses to severe, irreversible damage within 3 months of onset (and often much more quickly). On the other hand, steroid responsiveness is high and with prompt treatment, the hearing loss may be reversible. Nowadays experimental models of autoimmune hearing loss have been developed in a variety of animals. The correlation between experimental models in animals and serological findings in human might be significant. Several studies seem to demonstrate that genetically controlled aspects of the immune system may increase or otherwise be associated with increased susceptibility to different inner ear diseases. This chapter offers a practical tool for the diagnosis and treatment of AIED. © 2013 Nova Science Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.