Involvement of Ear in Rheumatoid Arthritis

Involvement of Ear in Rheumatoid Arthritis. Prospective Clinical StudyObjective: To investigate the relationship of the degree of hearing loss seen in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and biochemical findings of the disease.
Materials and methods: This study was carried out with 44 RA patients and 44 voluntary healthy controls between November 2006 and June 2007. All members underwent audiometry and impedance audiometry. The duration of the disease, the drugs used for the disease and the biochemical findings of the patients were noted. 
Results: Presbyacusis type sensorial hearing loss was detected in 27.3% of the patients and 15.9% in controls. Subclinic conductive hearing loss was seen in 56.8% of the patients and 25% of controls (p<0.01) and much more at frequencies of 500 Hz and 1000 Hz. The reason of this was seemed as the stiffness of the ossicular chain in patients.
Conclusion: Sensorineural hearing loss in RA is like presbyacusis and not statistically significant. However especially subclinic conductive pattern of hearing loss at low frequencies may be an indicator to predict the ossicular joint involvement in RA patients.

Int. Adv. Otol. 2011; 7(2): 208-214.