Effect of dialysis on hearing acuity

In order to determine the effect of dialysis on hearing acuity, 20 patients on chronic maintenance hemodialysis or peritoneal were followed with hearing examinations every 6 months over a follow-up period of 1-4 years. While 70% of the study group had some measureable hearing loss at the beginning of the study, 75% of the patients showed no deterioration of hearing loss during the follow-up period. It is suggested that hearing deficits in chronic renal failure are common and multifactorial in etiology, and that most patients undergoing chronic dialysis show no further deterioration in hearing acuity.