Relationship between ocular pseudoexfoliation and sensorineural hearing loss

INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the air and bone conductance rates in audiogram between healthy individuals and the patients having pseudoexfoliation (PEX).
METHODS: Patients with evidence of ocular PEX and controls were included in the study. Air conduction hearing thresholds (minimal perceptible sounds) were determined at frequencies of 250, 500, 1000, 2000, 4000, 6000, 8000 Hz and bone conduction hearing thresholds were determined at frequencies of 500, 1000, 2000, 4000 Hz for each ear. At these frequencies, air and bone conductance rates in audiogram were measured for patients with PEX and control group to analyze the relation between conductance rates and PEX cases.
RESULTS: Eighty six participants were enrolled in this case-control study, in which 40 of them having PEX. The acquired results showed that the PEX group displayed significantly higher hearing tresholds in air conductance compared with control subjects at frequencies of 250, 500, 1000, 2000, 4000 Hz, but not at frequencies of 6000, 8000 Hz. Similar results were obtained in bone conduction thresholds as well, in terms of the tendency of decreasing significance level between the groups in higher frequencies.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: In our study, we have shown that there is a statistically significant sensorineural hearing loss in PEX patients comparing age control subjects. These findings are more significant in lower frequencies, and the significance level is decreased toward the higher frequencies. Based on these findings, we speculate that endolymphatic pressure increase could have a role in the pathogenesis of PEX related sensorineural hearing loss.