title: Young systemic lupus erythematosus patients with no hearing involvement: 10-year follow up.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and normal hearing over 10 years, compared with healthy controls.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty patients diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus were evaluated in a prospective, descriptive study. Eight patients fulfilled the inclusion criteria, i.e. normal otoscopy, normal hearing, normal imaging and disease duration of less than one year. Eleven healthy companions of ENT patients were recruited as controls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At study commencement, the mean patient age was 32.75 years (range, 15-49 years) and there were no statistically significant audiometric differences between patients and controls. No statistically significant audiometric changes were found either within or between the patient and control groups at 10-year follow up.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results supply no evidence for progressive hearing loss in systemic lupus erythematosus patients with no hearing involvement at study commencement. Therefore, we recommend audiometric tests only for systemic lupus erythematosus patients complaining of hearing loss, or for other clinical purposes. It is conceivable that asymptomatic hearing loss could be observed over a more extended follow-up period (i.e. more than 10 years).
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Hospital Universitario Puerta de Hierro-Majadahonda, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: García-Berrocal
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: De Diego
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Roldán-Fidalgo
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yebra-Bango
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Millán
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Trinidad
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ramírez-Camacho
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001301:Audiometry, Pure-Tone; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006309:Hearing / Q000502:physiology*; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult