Hearing profile in hypothyroidism

Area of Science:

• Otolaryngology
• Endocrinology
• Audiology

Background:

• Hypothyroidism is a common endocrine disorder with potential systemic effects.
• Auditory and vestibular functions may be impacted by thyroid hormone levels.
• Hearing impairment is a recognized but not fully understood complication of hypothyroidism.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the audiological and vestibular effects of hypothyroidism.
• To evaluate the impact of levothyroxine treatment on hearing function in hypothyroid patients.
• To determine the relationship between hypothyroidism and different types of hearing loss.

Main Methods:

• Clinical examination and laboratory investigations of audiological and vestibular systems in 45 hypothyroid patients.
• Impedance audiometry to assess middle ear function (compliance and pressure).
• Brainstem Evoked Response Audiometry (BERA) to evaluate auditory pathway integrity.

Main Results:

• Hypothyroidism was associated with conductive, sensorineural, and mixed hearing impairments.
• Levothyroxine treatment led to statistically significant improvements in hearing thresholds in 30% of ears, especially conductive loss.
• Significant improvements were observed in middle ear compliance (50%) and pressure (87.50%) post-treatment.
• Acoustic reflex thresholds and BERA latencies showed statistically significant changes, though BERA interpeak latencies were not significant.

Conclusions:

• Hypothyroidism has a significant impact on auditory function, affecting the ear at multiple sites.
• Levothyroxine therapy can lead to measurable improvements in hearing and middle ear function in hypothyroid patients.
• A causal relationship is suggested between hypothyroidism and hearing loss, warranting further investigation.