Behçet's disease and hearing loss.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to determine the incidence and severity of hearing loss in different frequencies in Behçet's patients in a Turkish population.


METHODS
Sixty-three consecutive cases with Behçet's syndrome and 63 sex- and age-matched healty subjects as control group were included in this study. A detailed history was taken, all patients underwent neuro-otolological, ophthalmologic and dermatologic examination. Audiometric pure-tone thresholds at 125-8000Hz were obtained in all subjects in both groups. The results of the two groups were statistically evaluated by Chi-square, Student's-t and McNemar tests.


RESULTS
In 35 patients (55%), a hearing loss equal or more than 30dB hearing level was detected. 24 of 35 patients (68%) showed hearing loss in the higher frequencies (6 and 8kHz). 12 of 35 patients (34%) showed hearing loss in speech frequencies (500-2000Hz). No relationship could be found between hearing loss and other system involvements in Behçet's group. Also there was no correlation between hearing loss and duration of the disease, but the mean age of Behçet's patients with hearing loss was found to be significantly higher than the mean age of the patients without hearing loss.


CONCLUSIONS
We suggest that presence of hearing loss in Behçet's disease is prevalent and represents a fourth clinical symptom after oral, genital ulcers and skin lesions and especially there is a statistically significant hearing loss at high frequencies when compared with the speech frequencies.
AK
Erdinç
E
Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, SSK Göztepe Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.
Harputluoglu
Ugur
U
Oghan
Fatih
F
Baykal
Bahadýr
B
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001301:Audiometry, Pure-Tone; D001309:Auditory Threshold; D001528:Behcet Syndrome / Q000150:complications*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014421:Turkey / Q000453:epidemiology