Rapid Hearing Loss Could Signal Rare and Fatal Disease

A rapid loss of hearing in both ears might be a sign of the rare, but fatal Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD), which causes holes to develop in the brain. When treating a patient whose hearing loss was accompanied by ringing in the ears, Ahmad Riad Ramadan, MD, noted a subsequent cognitive decline indicative of CJD. Testing identified a telltale protein that led to a CJD diagnosis. The patients hearing did not improve and he died a month of seeking treatment. For more information, click here to read the full article.