Association between ABO blood group status and cochlear/neural function: auditory brainstem response findings

ABO blood group status may be a risk factor for some diseases, including hearing loss. Individuals with blood group O show a higher prevalence of hearing loss after industrial noise exposure. Group O individuals with normal hearing show reduced amplitudes in otoacoustic emission recordings. Whether blood group status affects auditory brainstem responses (ABR), which reflect cochlear hair cell and auditory nerve bioelectric activity, is unclear.

To compare cochlear and peripheral neural function across ABO blood groups by recording cochlear microphonic (CM) and wave I ABR responses.

Sixty normal-hearing young adults, with 15 participants from each blood group, completed 70 dB nHL click stimulus ABR measures. CM amplitude, wave I amplitude and wave I latency data were obtained for both ears. One-way ANOVA tests compared results across the ABO groups.

A statistically significant difference for wave I peak-to-peak amplitudes across the four groups was found. Post-hoc comparisons revealed group O had significantly reduced wave I amplitudes compared to group A participants. A consistent trend of reduced CM amplitudes and prolonged wave I latencies was shown in group O participants.

Emerging evidence exists that ABO blood group status may influence auditory function.