[Vitamin A concentration in plasma and ability to hear in patients with chronic alcoholic liver diseases]

59 patients with chronic alcoholic liver disease and with negative history of ear infection, noise exposure, head injury, use of streptomycin and without hereditary deafness underwent a basic audiologic examination. In all age groups we found a depression of the pure tone threshold on from 2,000 Hz and compared to a control group and to the norm curves (Spoor 1966). Following the Carhart-test and the acoustic facial reflex there were always signs of cochlear lesions. Fifty per cent of the alcoholics in the Carhart tone decay test showed a depression of the threshold between 10 and 30 dB. The concentration of vitamin A, RBP, beta-Carotin and zinc in the blood measured at the same time were diminished. Considering recent electron microscopic findings on the pattern of the inner ear of young rats following vitamin A deficit we suppose that the vitamin A deficit in the alcoholics leads to poor hearing.