Author/Authors :
Bozkurt, Mehtap Dicle Üniversitesi - Tıp Fakültesi - Fiziksel Tıp ve Rehabilitasyon A D, Turkey , Gün, Ramazan Dicle Üniversitesi - Tıp Fakültesi - Kulak Burun Boğaz A D, Turkey , Gür, Ali Gaziantep Üniversitesi - Tıp Fakültesi - Fiziksel Tıp ve Rehabilitasyon A D, Turkey , Uçar, Demet Diyarbakır Eğitim ve Araştırma Hastanesi - Fiziksel Tıp ve Rehabilitasyon Kliniği, Turkey , Nas, Kemal Dicle Üniversitesi - Tıp Fakültesi - Fiziksel Tıp ve Rehabilitasyon A D, Turkey
Abstract :
Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the rate and type of the hearing loss in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA); and to analyze whether these hearing loss rates were different from control group or not. Materials and methods: The study included 50 RA patients and 34 healthy control subjects. All two groups underwent, pure tone audiometric test between 250-8.000 Hz frequencies; stapes reflex test and otoacoustic emissions. Results: The mean ages were 36, 88 ± 8, 81 years in RA cases and 35, 58 ± 8, 19 years in control group. The mean disease duration was 4.72 (range 2-21) years in patients with RA. Hearing loss was detected in 10 (20%) of the RA patients and 3 (8.8%) of the control group. The difference between the groups was not statistically significant in terms of hearing loss (p=0,139). The sensorineural hearing loss was the most commonly detected hearing loss type. The distribution of this type of hearing loss was 14% in RA and 8.8% in control group. Hearing loss was present in 6 (85.7%) of the seven RA patients whose duration of the disease was more than 10 years. Conclusion: There was not found significant difference between RA and control group with respect to hearing loss. In RA cases, the degree of hearing loss was increasing with the duration of the diseases.
