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Updated: Jun 23, 2026
Investigating Intestinal Inflammation in DSS-induced Model of IBD
Published on: February 1, 2012
Auditory Involvement in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Clinical Predictors and Prognostic Implications
Kaori Mohri1, Taro Fujikawa1,2, Toshimitsu Fujii3
1Department of Otolaryngology, Institute of Science Tokyo Faculty of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
Objective:
To investigate the prevalence, characteristics, and clinical significance of hearing loss as an extraintestinal manifestation (EIM) in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
Study Design:
Cross-sectional observational study.
Setting:
Tertiary referral center.
Patients:
A total of 281 patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) or Crohn disease in remission and 10,681 controls with normal hearing for comparison.
Main Outcome Measures:
Questionnaires were used to assess auditory and vestibular symptoms, and pure-tone audiometry was also assessed. Predictors of hearing loss were examined using multivariate logistic regression. Intestinal prognosis was evaluated using Kaplan-Meier survival analysis.
Results:
Fifty-one patients (19%) reported subjective hearing loss, 57 (21%) reported tinnitus, and 76 (28%) experienced dizziness. Sensorineural hearing loss was identified in 92 patients (33%), beginning with a subtle (<10 dB) low-frequency threshold elevation as early as in the 20s, progressing across all frequencies with age ( P <0.001), and becoming evident in the 60s. Multivariate analysis identified male sex [odds ratio: 2.19 (95% CI: 1.26-3.80); P =0.005], UC diagnosis [1.94 (1.08-3.46); P =0.026], longer disease duration [1.04 (1.01-1.07); P =0.022], and a negative C-reactive protein/albumin ratio [0.51 (0.26-1.00); P =0.049] as independent predictors of hearing loss. Hearing loss was not associated with intestinal relapse during 50 months of follow-up ( P =0.832).
Conclusions:
Hearing loss is one of the most common EIMs and may develop from early adulthood despite intestinal disease remission. Early identification of subclinical hearing loss is warranted to prevent more significant hearing impairment.
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