Investigation of Hearing Loss in Pediatric Vitiligo

Prior studies have investigated the association between vitiligo and sensorineural hearing loss in adults; based on this potential association, we aimed to investigate the association of vitiligo with hearing loss in children. This was conducted as an IRB-approved multi-center retrospective analysis of pure tone audiometry and otoacoustic emission testing of 158 pediatric vitiligo patients compared to 316 age- and sex-matched healthy subjects at three institutions between 2000 and 2023. Our results demonstrate no significant increased incidence of hearing deficit in pediatric vitiligo patients, though both vitiligo and control populations demonstrated increased incidence of hearing loss. Further studies are required to determine whether pediatric vitiligo patients may benefit from early and/or regular screening examination and intervention, as hearing is critical for speech, language, and social development.