High Dose Oral Steroids in Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss

Inclusion Criteria: * Adults aged 18 to 80 years old * Present to the Otology or Otolaryngology Clinic at the University of Colorado Hospital with unilateral sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) * Seen within six weeks of initial hearing loss * Unilateral hearing loss at screening as defined by: * Loss of 30 decibels (dB) HL or greater over 3 continuous frequencies with participants reporting that this hearing loss occurred within 3 days * Present with primary complaint of sensorineural hearing loss * Normal tympanometry (Type A) * Normal tympanic membrane Exclusion Criteria: * Participants for whom high dose corticosteroids are a contraindicated due to: * Pregnancy * Known allergies to corticosteroids * Other concurrent medical conditions and or medications where high dose oral corticosteroids are not safe to use * Participants who have Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes * Participants who have previously received a course of oral steroids for this indication * Participants who have bilateral SSNHL * Participants with conductive hearing loss, mixed hearing loss (sensorineural and conductive), or any type of hearing loss that is not SSNHL (i.e. caused by acoustic or physical trauma to the ear) * Participants with the following conditions/situations will be excluded because the possibility that these could cause SSNHL: * History of previous/recurrent unilateral SSNHL * History of fluctuating hearing in either ear * History of Meniere's syndrome * History of c…