Enfermedad primaria autoinmune de oído interno. Presentación de un caso con seis años de seguimiento

We report a case of autoimmune inner ear disease with six years follow-up in a 46 year old man. The clinical suspicion of this disease characterized by a rapidly progressive bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, was confirmed by the presence of HSP 70 (Heat shock protein) antibodies; the unique laboratory test that until now , has been correlated in some cases with this disease. In this case, no other autoimmune diseases concurred. The good response with immune suppressant treatment and the relapse, even to worse degree of hearing loss, observed when treatment was suspended, confirms the immune-mediated origin of the disease.