title: Treatment-refractory autoimmune sensorineural hearing loss: response to infliximab.
abstract: We conducted a retrospective study to assess the effects of infliximab, a chimeric monoclonal antibody, on hearing in patients with autoimmune sensorineural hearing loss who had previously not responded to steroid therapy and/or treatment with other immunosuppressive drugs such as methotrexate and cyclophosphamide. We reviewed the records of 8 such patients. Our objective measures of outcome were pure-tone averages at 500, 1,000, 2,000, and 3,000 Hz and speech discrimination scores. At the completion of treatment, no patient exhibited a positive response to infliximab therapy by objective measurements, and only 1 patient (12.5%) reported subjective improvement.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA.
authors.forename: Yi-Chun
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Rene
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rubin
authors.forename: Robert T
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Sataloff
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018501:Antirheumatic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001299:Audiometry; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005260:Female; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D000069285:Infliximab; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D017211:Treatment Failure
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D018501:Antirheumatic Agents; D000069285:Infliximab