Audiological and vestibular evaluations in vitiligo patients

Area of Science:

• Otolaryngology
• Dermatology
• Audiology
• Neurology

Background:

• Vitiligo, an autoimmune condition, affects melanocytes.
• Melanocytes are present in the cochlea and vestibular system.
• Potential link between vitiligo and audio-vestibular abnormalities is under-explored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate audiological and vestibular abnormalities in patients with non-segmental vitiligo (NSV).
• To establish a diagnostic protocol for evaluating audio-vestibular damage in NSV.
• To correlate audio-vestibular findings with the known pathophysiology of vitiligo.

Main Methods:

• Pure tonal audiometry (PTA) for hearing assessment.
• Fitzgerald-Hallpike caloric testing for vestibular function.
• Cervical and Ocular Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potentials (C-VEM and O-VEMP) for vestibular assessment.
• Statistical analysis including chi-squared test and multiple regression.

Main Results:

• 69% of NSV patients showed bilateral hearing loss, 8% monaural.
• 14% had pathological monolateral and 9% bilateral responses on caloric testing.
• 44% of NSV patients exhibited altered VEMPs compared to healthy controls.
• No statistical differences were found via multiple regression analysis.

Conclusions:

• Significant audio-vestibular abnormalities are prevalent in NSV patients.
• A comprehensive diagnostic protocol involving PTA, caloric tests, and VEMPs is recommended for NSV.
• Findings support the hypothesis of melanocyte degeneration in the audio-vestibular system linked to NSV.