“Can typhoid cause hearing loss?”
My wife is 38 years old and has been diagnosed with typhoid fever after traveling to Brazil. She has been unable to hear for the past 24 hours, and the doctor said that this is because of typhoid. We are really worried, is this true? How long does typhoid fever typically last and is this damage to her hearing permanent? Please help.
4 Answers
Typhoid fever can attack nearly any organ in the body. Cochleovestibular (ear) involvement can result in acute sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL). It’s a rare complication and may result in permanent deafness. However, there are cases where the SNHL was reversed.
Yes
Yes, it can. I am unsure if it will be permanent or temporary. I understand it can be either.
G. Dickinson
G. Dickinson
Maira Jessica Medellin-Peña
Infectious Disease Specialist
Hearing loss due to cochleovestibular lesions caused by typhoid fever are very rare. These lesions occur most commonly between the second and third weeks of the disease. Typhoid fever usually lasts between one and two weeks, but can be as short as three days; depends on when you start taking antibiotics. Untreated, the illness usually lasts for three to five weeks. The exact mechanism of hearing loss in typhoid fever has not been established, but some patients have shown good responses to treatment.
