title: Hypertensive retinopathy and sensorineural hearing loss.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the correlation between hypertensive retinopathy (which is the end-organ damage of the vessels due to chronic hypertension) with sensorineural hearing loss.
  
  
  METHODS
  Pure tone hearing threshold of 56 hypertensive patients were compared with 56 normal age and sex matched control. Comparisons of pure tone hearing threshold are made among different group (grade) of hypertensive retinopathy patients and control (non-hypertensive patients).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean hearing thresholds were higher (worse) in all the frequencies on both sides in the hypertensive study group compared with normal subjects. However it was found to be statistically significant when tested using independent sample test (p < 0.05) on right ear at 2,000 Hz, 4,000 Hz and 8,000 Hz only. The mean hearing threshold is higher in all frequencies in the presence of retinopathy compared to control. However, the difference was found to be only statistically significant in the mean hearing threshold between grade I and control at 4,000 Hz and 8,000 Hz on both sides and at 1,000 Hz and 2,000 Hz on right ear. Hypertensive patient with grade I retinopathy had higher pure tone hearing thresholds at 4,000 Hz and 8,000 Hz compared to hypertensive without retinopathy and normal control.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Hypertensive retinopathy appears to be associated with high frequency sensor neural hearing loss.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University Malaya (UMMC) Lembah Pantai, Kuala lumpur, 50603 Malaysia.
authors.forename: T Y
authors.initials: TY
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Rahmat
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Prepageran
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fauzi
authors.forename: N H
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Noran
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Raman
keywords: Hypertension; Retinopathy; Sensorineural hearing loss