[Otology in diseases of internal medicine interest]

Many clinical manifestations present signs of cochleovestibular impairment. In some cases, otological symptoms are a complication of a disease, while in other cases they are the only early signs and can last for a long period preceding the full development of the primary disease. The otological pathology in the former case is useful for investigating the internal pathology and sometimes for delivering correct diagnosis. On the contrary, in the latter case, it does not offer elements for any etiopathogenic hypothesis because it happens in almost all cases with an acute onset in an otherwise healthy subject and it is always underestimated because of the minor functional impairment. However, clinical studies in the last years led to a significant evolution of otological findings as an early important symptom in the etiopathogenic study and in the diagnosis of some internal diseases. This is true for connectivitis, in which the disease is often preceded by a sudden cochleovestibular symptom, in some dismetabolic or vascular diseases that sometimes begin with fluctuating hearing loss, or in some cochlear manifestations due to ototoxic origin.