American Journal of Audiology Vol.19 86-90 December 2010. doi:10.1044/1059-0889(2010/09-0020)
© American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
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The Impact of Sudden Hearing Loss Secondary to Heroin Overdose on Fitting Outcomes

Erika L. Nair

University of Connecticut, Storrs, and Yale University, New Haven, CT

Kathleen M. Cienkowski

University of Connecticut

Elias Michaelides

Yale University

Contact author: Kathleen M. Cienkowski, University of Connecticut, 850 Bolton Road, U-1085, Storrs, CT 06269. E-mail: cienkowski{at}uconn.edu.

Purpose: There are few cases in the literature that report the auditory effects of heroin overdose. Follow-up and rehabilitation in these cases are unreported. In the case reported here, a 29-year-old woman presented with sudden bilateral sensorineural hearing loss subsequent to reported heroin overdose. She was fitted with binaural amplification and monitored over 3 months.

Method: The Hearing Handicap Inventory for Adults—Screening version (HHIA–S), Expected Consequences of Hearing Aid Ownership (ECHO), and Satisfaction With Amplification in Daily Life (SADL) were administered after hearing aid fitting. These measures assessed the patient's perceptions of handicap as well as her expectations of and satisfaction with amplification.

Results: The patient's responses on the HHIA–S were higher than normative values at the time of the incident, indicating perceptions of greater handicap. Her perceptions of handicap decreased after having been fit with hearing aids. Responses on the SADL and ECHO were within normative values.

Conclusion: This case provides a framework for managing the rehabilitation of this population. Audiologists need to understand their role in the careful monitoring of hearing rehabilitation and how they may help in determining complaints that may be hearing- or device-related versus those associated with the psychological symptoms experienced during the withdrawal period.

Key Words: overdose, sudden hearing loss, fitting outcomes, rehabilitation


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