Hearing Impairment and Audiological Alterations in Euthyroid Hashimoto's Thyroiditis

Area of Science:

• Otolaryngology
• Endocrinology
• Autoimmune Diseases

Background:

• Hearing loss is linked to autoimmune conditions, yet its association with Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) is understudied.
• Euthyroid HT patients, characterized by normal thyroid function but positive anti-thyroid antibodies and specific sonographic findings, require focused audiological evaluation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate hearing impairment and audiological alterations in adults with euthyroid Hashimoto's thyroiditis.
• To compare audiological findings between euthyroid HT patients and a control group.

Main Methods:

• Compared adult euthyroid HT patients (n=36) with controls (n=40), excluding specific conditions and medications.
• Utilized tympanometry (tympanic peak pressure - TPP), acoustic reflex testing (ART), pure-tone average (PTA), and transient evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAE).

Main Results:

• Euthyroid HT patients exhibited higher air conduction thresholds and PTA compared to controls.
• Less negative TPP and a higher rate of negative ART were observed in the euthyroid HT group.
• TEOAE detected audiological abnormalities more frequently, with euthyroid HT predicting undetected TEOAE and elevated hearing thresholds.

Conclusions:

• Euthyroid Hashimoto's thyroiditis may be associated with impaired hearing and audiological test results.
• Close audiological monitoring is recommended for individuals with euthyroid HT.
• Transient evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAE) are particularly effective in identifying audiological abnormalities in this population.