Transient conductive hearing loss as a notable and rare manifestation of preeclampsia: a case report.
Xiuying Chen, Linna Jin, Baihui Zhao
✦ AI-curated · Sources linked
Case in brief
A 25-year-old woman with preeclampsia diagnosed at 33 weeks’ gestation developed sudden bilateral hearing loss at 35 weeks and 5 days. Examination showed fluid behind both tympanic membranes; audiometry and B-type tympanograms confirmed conductive loss with preserved bone-conduction thresholds. After an emergent Cesarean delivery at 36 weeks, supportive treatment with furosemide and spironolactone was followed by complete resolution within three days. She remained well at one-month follow-up.
What made this case unusual
The hearing loss was bilateral and conductive, associated with secretory otitis media in a patient with preeclampsia, rather than sensorineural dysfunction.
Diagnostic / clinical pearl
Sudden hearing loss in preeclampsia warrants assessment of both middle-ear and inner-ear function; otoscopy, audiometry, and tympanometry helped identify effusion and distinguish conductive from sensorineural loss in this case.
Why it matters
The report links preeclampsia-related fluid dysregulation with middle-ear effusion, a potentially reversible explanation for acute hearing loss in pregnancy.