Hyperlipidemia in association with childhood sensorineural hearing loss

In adults there has been an association noted between hyperlipidemia and sensorineural hearing loss. Etiologic considerations include hyperviscosity of the serum, vascular occlusion and an increased susceptibility to noise. Until now this correlation, to our knowledge, has not been made in the pediatric population. Several children with bilateral fluctuating sensorineural hearing losses have been identified with hyperlipidemia. The fluctuations in hearing varied with lipid levels. With dietary controls, the cholesterol levels returned to what would be near the norm for the pediatric population and hearing returned to near baseline. Unexplained fluctuating sensorineural hearing losses in children warrant the consideration of hyperlipidemia. Discovering a potentially reversible etiology for hearing loss is significant but more importantly, may lead to the early detection of hyperlipidemia in the young patient.