Sudden Hearing Loss in a Young Patient with Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia

CHISHAKI Ren

FUKUSHIMA Noriyasu

ISHIKAWA Chie

EDAHIRO Taro

MINO Tatsuji

YOSHIDA Tetsumi

NISHIZAWA Masatoshi

ICHINOHE Tatsuo

Hiroshima Journal of Medical Sciences

[PISSN] 0018-2052

[EISSN] 2433-7668

[NCID] AA00664312

Hyperleukocytosis is a typical presentation of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). It sometimes induces leukostasis, the symptoms of which include visual change, headache, tinnitus, dizziness, and occasional disturbance of consciousness. In the present study, a 26-year-old male patient visited a general physician, who observed marked hyperleukocytosis and referred the patient to our hospital. The patient was diagnosed with CML and treated with a tyrosine kinase inhibitor and hydroxycarbamide. On the fourth day after admission, the patient suddenly complained of left-sided hearing loss. An audiogram revealed profound left sensorineural hearing loss. Magnetic resonance imaging of the head showed no lesions in the inner ear, cerebellum, or brain stem; therefore, we diagnosed sudden hearing loss due to leukostasis. Subsequently, his hearing did not improve, despite a decrease in leukocytes. The pathophysiology of leukocytosis involves increased leukocytes and thrombi, which induce high blood viscosity in the microcirculation. Leukostasis-related infarction and hemorrhage can lead to occlusion of the labyrinthine artery, causing deafness. Physicians should be aware that deafness can develop when diagnosing marked leukocytosis because such deafness is irreversible in most cases.

Chronic myelogenous leukemia

Hyperleukocytosis

Sudden hearing loss

Adolescents and young adults

eng

Hiroshima University Medical Press

Copyright (c) 2021 Hiroshima University Medical Press

[ISSN] 0018-2052

[ISSN] 2433-7668

[NCID] AA00664312

[DOI] 10.24811/hjms.70.2-4_39

[DOI] https://doi.org/10.24811/hjms.70.2-4_39