Autoimmune inner ear disease in children.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To determine the response to treatment of pediatric patients diagnosed with autoimmune inner ear disease. PATIENTS Seven children who presented with sensorineural hearing loss and were diagnosed with autoimmune inner ear disease. INTERVENTION Diagnosis through blood testing. Treatment with steroids and/or cytotoxic medication. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Improvement in pure-tone average and speech discrimination scores on audiometric testing. RESULTS: Six of the 7 children (85.7%) improved with treatment, and the remaining patient had no measurable progression of disease. CONCLUSION: Children with autoimmune inner ear disease seem to benefit from treatment with steroids and/or cytotoxic medication. Although such medications must be used with caution in the pediatric population, they should not be withheld simply because of young age.