A clinical study of psychogenic hearing loss.

概要

論文の詳細を見る
Psychogenic problems are gradually increasing in many medical fields along with recent rises in complexities of society and home life. We think that psychogenic hearing loss also is not exceptional. Therefore, we analyzed 16 patients with psychogenic hearing loss seen during the past ten years in the Department of Otolaryngology of Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine.1) The patients were 7 to 15 years of age, 10 females and 6 males. Recently, however, the number of male patients has been gradually increasing.2) The frequent audiographic finding was "horizontal type" (16 ears), followed by "deaf type" (6 ears), "gradually decreasing high tone type" (4 ears), and "saucer type.' (4 ears). In 80% hearing loss was bilateral.3) We recognized the usefulness of auditory brainstem responses (ABR) and the stapedius reflex in diagnosing this type of hearing loss.4) Nine patients were conscious of their hearing loss, and in 6 patients it was found during school examination.5) In 9 patients there were family or school problems to account for psychogenic hearing loss, but in 7 patients (1 male and 6 females), no such environmental factors were recognized.6) The prognosis was usually good, regardless of the course whether or not the patient was conscious of the hearing loss.7) It is emphasized that otolaryngologists have sufficient knowledge to diagnose and treat psychogenic hearing loss.