title: Sensorineural hearing loss in acromegalic patients under treatment.
abstract: Acromegaly is a rare endocrine disease. Few studies have evaluated its association with hearing loss (HL) and the results are conflicting.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the prevalence and features of HL in a group of patients being treated for acromegaly. To analyze peripheral and central auditory transmission.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional study. A group of 34 patients with acromegaly were submitted to metabolic evaluation, tonal audiometry and brainstem auditory evoked potentials. HL was considered when pure tone average was > 25 DBHL for low frequencies (250, 500, 1000 and 2000 Hz) or high frequencies (3000, 4000, 6000 and 8000 Hz). The patients were divided in group A (with HL) and B (without HL).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twelve patients (35.3%) had sensorineural HL (Group A), being 8 bilateral and 4 unilateral. No one had mixed or conductive HL. The prevalence of diabetes/impaired glucose tolerance was similar between the groups. The frequencies 3000, 4000, 6000 and 8000 Hz were the most affected and with a similar pattern in both ears.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  sensorineural HL was found in 38.9% of cases. Neither clinical nor metabolic differences were noted between the groups, as well as in regards to peripheral and central auditory transmission.
authors.affiliation: Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal do Ceará. marceloalexc@yahoo.com.br
authors.forename: Marcelo Alexandre
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Carvalho
authors.forename: Renan Magalhães
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Montenegro Júnior
authors.forename: Marcos Rabelo de
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Freitas
authors.forename: Lúcio
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Vilar
authors.forename: Alessandra Teixeira Bezerra de
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Mendonça
authors.forename: Renan Magalhães
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Montenegro
mesh_terms: D000172:Acromegaly / Q000150:complications*; D000328:Adult; D001301:Audiometry, Pure-Tone; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D016057:Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Brain Stem; D005260:Female; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged