Anti-laminin antibodies in inner ear diseases: a potential marker for infectious and post-infectious processes

Natural antibodies against laminin (ALA) have been detected recently in some acute and chronic infectious disorders. In our present study sera of a large number of patients with inner ear disorders of unknown etiology (n = 413) were tested for ALA. Control sera were taken from patients with diseases of known infectious etiology and patients with diseases of unknown etiology in which an infectious etiology was suggested. Patients with classical autoimmune diseases as well as healthy blood donors were also included in this study. The highest frequency of ALA was found in patients with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) (68%), whereas the incidence of ALA was comparatively uncommon in patients with Menière's disease (14%). In patients with chronic infectious diseases ALA were detected with almost the same frequency as in patients with SNHL. The elevation of the erythrocyte sedimentation rate and the association of ALA-positive SNHL with other chronic inflammatory disorders suggest that ALA might be stimulated by a persisting infectious process. These findings suggest that certain forms of inner ear disorders might have a chronic infectious etiology.