[Hearing loss associated to ulcerative colitis]

To value the eventual immunomediation in sensorineural hearing loss (SHL) on patients bearing of ulcerative colitis (UC).

In a group of forty-nine cases with a mean age of 41.6+/-9.3 years old we studied the hearing loss level, the disease activity index, the peripheral blood inflammation markers and the anticochlear antibodies by mean of Western-blot technique (WB).

The 26.5% knew about their deafness, although SHL was detected in 59.1% of cases. The mean age of onset was 40.3+/-9.8 years. 48.9% showed a positive WB, always in 68-70 kDa molecular weight blots. Moreover, patients with positive WB showed more severe deafness, higher disease activity and more altered parameters, especially erythrosedimentation rate.

Audiologic and peripheral blood findings observed allow us to establish a reasonable suspicion of an autoimmune or immunomediated pathway of hearing loss on UC.