Sudden Deafness Treatment Trial (SSNHL)

Inclusion Criteria: Men/women 18 years and older in good health Unilateral sensorineural hearing loss developing within 72 hours (SSNHL) Pure Tone Average (PTA) (500, 1000, 2000, 4000 Hz) >/= 50 dB in the affected ear, with the affected ear >/= 30 dB worse than contralateral ear in at least one of the four frequencies Symmetric hearing prior to onset of SSNHL Hearing loss must be idiopathic Hearing loss must have occurred within the past 14 days Must be able to read or write English or Spanish Exclusion Criteria: SYSTEMIC DISEASE >21 days prior oral steroid treatment within preceding 30 days History of tuberculosis (TB) or positive PPD Insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus History of rheumatic disease, e.g., rheumatoid arthritis, scleroderma, lupus, etc. Serious psychiatric disease or psychiatric reaction to corticosteroids History of heart disease or transient ischemic attacks (TIAs) Prior treatment with chemotherapeutic or immunosuppressive drugs Pancreatitis Active peptic ulcer disease or history of gastrointestinal bleeding History of HIV, Hepatitis B or C Chronic kidney failure Alcohol abuse Active shingles Severe osteoporosis or non-surgical aseptic necrosis of the hip OTOLOGIC DISEASE Prior history of SSNHL History of fluctuating hearing loss History of Meniere's disease History of chronic ear infection History of otosclerosis History of ear surgery (except childhood pressure equalization [pe] tubes) History of congenital hearing loss History of trauma immediately preceding onset of SSNHL History of syphilitic hearing loss History of genetic/hereditary hearing loss Skull, facial, or temporal bone anomalies