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Updated: Jun 6, 2026
Neuro-rehabilitation Approach for Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss
Published on: January 25, 2016
Sensorineural hearing loss in ankylosing spondylitis treated with TNF blockers
M Savastano1, G Marioni, L Giacomelli
1Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Section of Otolaryngology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy. marina.savastano@unipd.it
Objectives:
Sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) in the uncommon disease ankylosing spondylitis (AS) has been previously reported. We analysed the relationships between AS, anti-TNF drug treatment, and SNHL.
Methodology:
We determined pure tone thresholds in 28 consecutive patients with AS who were treated with the TNFalpha inhibitors etanercept or infliximab, or with a TNFalpha inhibitor plus methotrexate (MTX).
Results:
SNHL was diagnosed in 16 patients (57.1%): 7/7 (100%) of those treated with anti-TNFalpha plus MTX, and 9/21 (43%) of those treated with anti-TNFalpha alone. We found a significant association between SNHL and treatment modality (p = 0.011) or treatment time in months (p = 0.020).
Conclusions:
The SNHL rate was significantly higher in patients treated with anti-TNFalpha plus MTX than those treated with anti-TNFalpha alone. The culpability of anti-TNF therapy was supported by the association between SNHL and treatment time, which was longer for anti-TNFalpha plus MTX than for anti-TNFalpha alone. SNHL may be due not only to AS, but also to drug-induced vasculitis of the labyrinthine artery or its cochlear branch.
