Publication:

A study on association between thyroid disorders and sensorineural hearing loss

Background Thyroid hormones are important for overall growth and maturation. They play a significant role in the development of cochlea. Hearing loss is commonly seen in thyroid disorders. This study attempts at understanding the association between thyroid disorders and sensorineural hearing loss.

Methods 106 subjects with thyroid disorders were evaluated for hearing loss. They were classified according to their thyroid status and pure tone audiometry was done. The cases were compared with age and sex matched controls.

Results SNHL was the common type of hearing loss seen. The prevalence of SNHL found to be 32.1% in cases. SNHL is bilateral and commonly high frequency type in the early stage of the disease. The severity and prevalence of hearing loss is more with longer duration of the disease state. 29.4% of the cases showed improvement in hearing with therapy for three months.

Conclusions In patients with thyroid disorders, hearing evaluation helps in the detection of hearing loss earlier and thus treatment could be started.