Non-organic hearing loss in Chinese teenagers

Objective To heighten the physicianʹs awareness of non-organic hearing loss in teenagers in China. Methods Retrospective cases review of seven patients (six girls and one boy) with sudden hearing loss was conducted. Results Five patients presented with hearing loss bilaterally and two patients unilaterally. All patients suffered from severe to profound hearing loss. However, the acoustic reflex test indicated direct and indirect responses were present bilaterally at 1000 Hz 100 dB SPL. The results of ABR test revealed hearing threshold within 20–30 dB nHL. Further investigations indicated non-organic hearing loss was associated with school stress or environment conflict. Satisfactory outcomes were achieved in all patients. Conclusion Non-organic hearing loss should be considered when teenagers present with severe to profound sudden hearing loss if the acoustic reflex is present. School and home stresses are associated with the occurrence of non-organic hearing loss in the present study.