title: Risk of sudden sensorineural hearing loss in patients with psoriasis: a retrospective cohort study.
abstract: CONCLUSIONS
  Psoriasis, a common immune-mediated disease, affects approximately 2% of the population worldwide. Sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) might be a manifestation of systemic vascular involvement in autoimmune disease. However, to the best of our knowledge, there is no systematic English-language examination of the risk of SSNHL in patients with psoriasis.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We tested the hypothesis that psoriasis is a risk factor for developing SSNHL.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database, we conducted a retrospective cohort study to compare patients diagnosed with psoriasis from January 1, 2001 through December 31, 2006 (n=28,817) with gender-, age-, and comorbidities-matched controls (n=28,817). We followed each patient until the end of 2011 and evaluated the incidence of SSNHL for at least 6 years after the initial psoriasis diagnosis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The incidence of SSNHL was 1.51 times higher in the psoriasis cohort than in the control cohort (7.12 vs 4.73 per 10,000 person-years). Using Cox proportional hazard regressions, the adjusted hazard ratio (AHR) was 1.51 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.18-1.93). Comorbid hypertension was an independent risk factor for SSNHL (AHR 1.49; 95% CI 1.05-2.13). However, the incidence rate ratios (IRRs) for each comorbidity subgroup in the psoriasis and control cohorts were not significantly different.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Psoriasis was significantly associated with a higher risk of developing SSNHL. We suggest that physicians advise patients with psoriasis to seek medical attention if they have hearing impairments, because they may also have a higher risk of developing SSNHL.
authors: Department of Ophthalmology, Chi Mei Medical Center, Liou Ying, Tainan, Taiwan.
authors: Yung-Chang
authors: YC
authors: Yen
authors: Yung-Song
authors: YS
authors: Lin
authors: Shih-Feng
authors: SF
authors: Weng
authors: Feng-Jie
authors: FJ
authors: Lai
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011565:Psoriasis / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult