Fludrocortisone for Sudden Hearing Loss

The standard of care treatment of sudden hearing loss uses a type of steroid called glucocorticoid. Examples of glucocorticoids are prednisone, methylprednisolone and dexamethasone. Not everybody recovers hearing with glucocorticoid treatment. Fludrocortisone is a different type of steroid called mineralocorticoid. Unlike glucocorticoids, which work by reducing inflammation, mineralocorticoids work by changing salt and fluid balance. In animal studies, fludrocortisone is at least as effective as glucocorticoid in preserving hearing. Fludrocortisone is not approved for the treatment of sudden hearing loss. The purpose of this study is to test whether fludrocortisone can treat sudden hearing loss.