Ulcerative colitis may be a risk factor for sensorineural hearing loss

Abstract

Introduction: Inner ear involvement of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which causes sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) is acute and bilateral and arises in a short period of weeks to months in the active period of the disease. We aimed to determine the frequency of SNHL in patients with UC and CD and to evaluate the relationship between audiological features and clinical findings in IBD. Material and Method: The present study included 53 IBD patients and 20 healthy control patients who were followed up in the gastroenterology outpatient clinic of Abant Izzet Baysal University Hospital between January and May 2020 and accepted to participate in the study. Tympanometry, otoscopy, and audiometry examinations were performed. Results: There was no significant difference in terms of gender and age between the IBD and control groups. While there was no significant difference in air and bone conduction in both ears in patients with CD, there was a significant difference between both conductions in UC (p: 0.0001 in the left ear, p: 0.004 in the right ear). SNHL was detected in 45.2% (n:14) of UC patients and 13.6% (n:3) of CD patients in audiometry. Three of our UC patients had moderate, one had moderately severe, and one had profound hearing loss. Conclusion: SNHL has been detected in a significant number of UC patients. Also, the hearing functions deteriorate significantly as the age of the patients and the duration of the disease increases. UC patients with a long-term disease or older patients should be evaluated for SNHL.