[Cogan syndrome--a case report].

We present a case report of Cogan's syndrome and a review of the literature. Cogan's syndrome, described in 1945, consists of nonsyphilitic interstitial keratitis accompanied by rapidly progressive bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and vertigo. 40% develop bilateral complete deafness and 70% show signs of systemic disease mostly in the form of cardiovascular symptoms. The mortality rate of 10% is mainly due to vasculitis. The disease is caused by an autoimmune response. One male patient had a typical interstitial keratitis and bilateral dramatically progressive deafness combined with failure of the vestibule. Corticosteroids and immunosuppressants are the treatment of choice. The importance of being aware of audiotory-vestibular dysfunction occurring in patients with ocular inflammation and the role of early immunotherapy in preventing deafness has to be emphasised.