Introduction to Audiology Practice Exam 2026 – Complete Preparation Guide

Sudden idiopathic sensorineural hearing loss is a rapid loss of cochlear or retrocochlear hearing that occurs over a very short period. The onset is typically within a few hours to a few days, and many patients feel it happened suddenly or nearly overnight. That variability in how quickly the loss becomes noticeable is why this statement is correct: the condition can develop over days or seem instantaneous to the person affected.

It is not usually bilateral; most cases affect one ear. It is not tied to a middle ear infection, which would cause a conductive loss, nor is it caused by cerumen impaction. Those factors point to different kinds of hearing issues, not sudden sensorineural loss.