Otoacoustic emissions in young adults: Effects of blood group

Previous research findings have suggested that individuals with different blood groups demonstrate varied haematological risk factors for a wide range of disorders, including noise-induced hearing loss. The present study investigated the effects of blood group on several features of otoacoustic emissions (OAEs) including magnitude, as OAE status is indicative of cochlear function. A total of 60 normal hearing females aged between 18 and 26 years were included in the study. Measurements of spontaneous otoacoustic emissions (SOAEs), transient-evoked emissions (TEOAEs) and distortion-product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) were obtained from both ears for all participants, who included equal numbers of A, B, O and AB positive blood groups. Participants with blood group O had significantly fewer occurrences of SOAEs and lower DPOAE amplitudes at some frequencies compared to participants with blood group B. There was a general trend for blood group O individuals to show reduced OAE amplitudes compared to participants from A, B, and AB groups. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that individuals with different blood groups may have different OAE amplitude values. The results support the need for further investigation on the effects of blood group on OAE status.