Hearing statement in multiple sclerosis: a case control study using auditory brainstem responses and otoacoustic...

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Audiology
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a central nervous system demyelinating disorder.
• MS can affect the 8th cranial nerve and its central nuclei, potentially causing sensorineural hearing loss.
• The prevalence of hearing loss (HL) in MS patients, especially retrocochlear HL, requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the prevalence of hearing loss, particularly retrocochlear HL, in patients with Multiple Sclerosis.
• To compare audiological findings in MS patients with a healthy control group.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study design was employed.
• Utilized Pure-Tone Audiometry (PTA), Otoacoustic Emissions (OAEs), and Auditory Brainstem Responses (ABRs) for audiological assessment.
• Statistical analysis included Chi-squared and Fischer exact tests.

Main Results:

• Abnormal PTA was observed in 12.5% of MS patient ears versus 3.9% in controls (P=0.043).
• Abnormal ABRs were found in 20% of MS patient ears compared to 9.2% in controls (P=0.044).
• Increased inter-peak latencies in ABRs (I-III and III-V) were significantly more frequent in MS patients.

Conclusions:

• Hearing loss is more common in Multiple Sclerosis patients.
• PTA and ABR are valuable tools for detecting auditory pathway abnormalities in MS.
• While OAEs and high-frequency PTA did not show significant differences, ABRs indicate subclinical auditory nerve involvement in MS.