Auditory Function of Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome: A Study

Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is a respiratory syndrome that manifests during sleep. For the auditory system to be able to function normally, the inner ear and cochlear nerve require healthy oxygen support. The purpose of this study was to assess the hearing function of patients with OSAS and to reveal the relationship between polysomnographic parameters and hearing test results.

The study was performed with 35 patients diagnosed with moderate or severe OSAS using polysomnography and a control group consisting of 30 individuals. The snoring, tiredness, observed apnea, blood pressure, body mass index, age, neck circumference and gender (STOP-Bang) questionnaire was used to establish the control group. Detailed otoscopic examinations were administered to all subjects by the same otolaryngologist, followed by a tympanogram, pure-tone audiometry (PTA) and transient evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAE) tests.

We determined mild sensorineural hearing loss in patients with OSAS. When the different frequencies were evaluated separately, hearing threshold values in the patients with OSAS were significantly higher compared to the control group at 500, 1000, 2000, 4000, and 8000 Hz in both ears. TEOAE test reproducibility values in both ears were significantly lower in the study group compared to the control group.

The hearing system is affected to varying degrees in patients with OSAS. If hearing loss is detected in patients presenting at otolaryngology clinics due to snoring, then assessing these subjects in terms of risk of OSAS is important to reduce mortality and morbidity that may develop at later stages in association with OSAS.