Does Mucosal Chronic Otitis Media Leads to Sensorineural Hearing Loss

Area of Science:

• Otolaryngology
• Audiology
• Neurosurgery

Background:

• Sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) arises from damage to the inner ear or auditory neural pathways.
• Chronic otitis media (COM) can lead to serious inner ear complications, including SNHL.
• Unilateral mucosal COM is a specific subtype requiring investigation for associated hearing deficits.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the incidence of SNHL in patients with unilateral mucosal COM.
• To assess the impact of unilateral mucosal COM on bone conduction thresholds.
• To identify risk factors associated with SNHL in this patient group.

Main Methods:

• A cohort of 100 patients diagnosed with unilateral mucosal COM was recruited.
• Pure tone audiometry was performed using an Audio 4002 system in a sound-treated environment.
• Normal bone conduction (BC) threshold was defined as less than 20 dB.

Main Results:

• A significant occurrence of SNHL was observed in 23% of patients with mucosal COM.
• Unilateral mucosal COM demonstrated a notable impact on BC thresholds.
• Increased risk of SNHL correlated with larger tympanic membrane perforation size, longer disease duration, and active disease stage.

Conclusions:

• Unilateral mucosal COM is associated with a substantial rate of SNHL.
• The extent of SNHL is influenced by disease severity, including perforation size and duration.
• Early detection and management of COM may be crucial to mitigate hearing loss.