Büntzel J1, Kisters K2, Micke O2, Hunger R2

1 HNO-Klinik am Südharz-Klinikum Nordhausen
2 Gesellschaft für Magnesium-Forschung e.V.

Objective: Mg infusions are used in the treatment of sudden hearing loss since nearly 10 years. Nothing is
known about the patient’s Mg status until today.

Material and methods: Between June 2015 and March 2016 we measured serum Mg concentration of all
patients which were treated at the ENT clinic Nordhausen because of sudden hearing loss. We included 59
patients (31 female, 28 male, median age 62 years, range 27-89) and analyzed correlations between the Mg
status and the frequency specific hearing loss compared to the normal ear.

Results: We have seen a normal distribution of Mg concentration (0.86±0.07 mmol/l) and no correlation
between the summarized hearing loss (Röser 1973) and the Mg was shown. But we have registered a
significant increased rate of patients with deafness in patients with Mg-concentration > 0.90 mmol/l. (p=0,032,
χ²=4,604). The patients with higher Mg levels have had 10 total loss frequencies and 66 partial loss frequencies
compared to 8 total loss frequencies and 148 partial loss frequencies in the patients with Mg<0.90 mmol/l.

Conclusions: Increased serum Mg could be a risk factor for sudden hearing loss. That’s why a Mg infusion could
not be recommended in the treatment of acute disease.