NEWS: Rheumatoid arthritis does not increase risk of hearing loss

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Rheumatoid arthritis does not increase risk of hearing loss

Researchers at Mayo Clinic have found that people with rheumatoid

arthritis are no more likely to have hearing loss than other members

of the general population.

The finding is contrary to previous study results that linked the

disease to elevated risk of hearing problems.

" This is very good news for rheumatoid arthritis patients, " says

Matteson, at Mayo Clinic and senior study researcher. " Patients

with rheumatoid arthritis actually have preserved hearing and are no

more susceptible to hearing loss than those who do not have the

disease; there is no measurable difference with standard testing.

This was surprising. I expected to see more hearing loss in

rheumatoid arthritis patients. "

The study included 29 patients ages 40 to 69 who had rheumatoid

arthritis for more than five years, categorized by decades of age.

The researchers compared them to 30 participants of the same gender

and age categories who did not have rheumatoid arthritis.

All participants had comprehensive hearing tests and questionnaires

to measure hearing and dizziness handicaps and assess their overall

health.

Seventeen of 29 patients with rheumatoid arthritis had abnormal

hearing for at least one sound frequency, as did 14 of 30 of those

without rheumatoid arthritis.

Matteson notes, however, that the findings do not mean that hearing

loss is never related to rheumatoid arthritis. " Hearing loss can be

a symptom of rheumatoid arthritis, but it doesn't seem to be more of

a problem than in the general population, " he says.

The researchers found that though no objective difference was

detected in comprehensive hearing evaluations of rheumatoid arthritis

patients compared to those without the disease, the rheumatoid

arthritis patients were more likely to perceive that they had hearing

problems. This phenomenon was most pronounced in those who had more

severe rheumatoid arthritis and had disabilities due to the disease.

Among the rheumatoid arthritis patients who had hearing loss, most

often the loss was partial and due to nerve problems in the inner ear

( sensorineural ). The cause of this loss is uncertain, but may be

due to factors such as noise exposure.

In addition, the hearing loss may be related to an autoimmune attack

in which the immune system attacks the cochlea, the inner ear cavity

containing hair cells and the nerves which connect the cochlea to the

brain.

The researchers also noted a possible link between the hearing loss

and rheumatoid arthritis medications, as patients who took

Hydroxychloroquine were somewhat more likely to have hearing problems

than other study participants.

Source: Mayo Clinic, 2006

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