The effect of multiple sclerosis on pure tone thresholds

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Audiology
• Clinical Neurology

Background:

• Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a demyelinating disease affecting the central nervous system.
• Auditory pathway involvement in MS can lead to various hearing dysfunctions.
• Understanding subtle hearing changes in MS is crucial for comprehensive patient care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate pure tone hearing acuity in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS).
• To determine if demyelinating disease is associated with decreased auditory thresholds.
• To explore potential correlations between hearing deficits and MS characteristics.

Main Methods:

• Pure tone audiometry was performed on 44 MS patients and 44 matched neurological controls.
• Hearing thresholds were analyzed across different frequencies.
• Statistical comparisons were made between the MS and control groups.

Main Results:

• MS patients generally exhibited normal hearing thresholds.
• A significant decrease in auditory acuity was observed at specific low frequencies in the MS group compared to controls.
• No correlation was found between affected frequencies and patient age, sex, or disease duration.

Conclusions:

• Demyelinating disease in MS may subtly impact auditory function, particularly at low frequencies.
• The observed hearing threshold abnormalities were primarily associated with brain stem lesions in MS patients.
• These findings suggest the brain stem as a potential site for auditory pathway dysfunction in MS.