Symptomatic sensorineural hearing loss in patients with ulcerative colitis.
BACKGROUND
Sensorineural hearing loss has been reported as an extraintestinal manifestation of inflammatory bowel disease, especially in adult patients with ulcerative colitis. However, to date only a few series have been reported in the literature, and none from Italy. The aim of the present investigation was to assess the prevalence of symptomatic sensorineural hearing loss in Italian patients with ulcerative colitis.


METHODS
We retrospectively assessed the charts of all patients with ulcerative colitis who underwent otolaryngologic investigation in a 10-year period.


RESULTS
Complete charts of 57 patients were available for the observation period. Reasons for head and neck investigation were transient, mild hearing loss and sporadic vertigo. Clinical and instrumental head and neck examination was unremarkable in all but one woman who complained of mild hearing loss without vertigo or tinnitus, in whom sensorineural hearing loss was diagnosed.


CONCLUSIONS
In our series, sensorineural hearing loss was found in less than 2 % of adult patients with ulcerative colitis evaluated in a department of otolaryngology. Systematic evaluation for this extraintestinal manifestation should not be carried out unless hearing loss is present.
Department of Medicine, Desio Hospital, Desio, Italy.
G
G
Casella
Department of Head and Neck, Desio Hospital, Desio, Italy.
D
D
Corbetta
Department of Head and Neck, Desio Hospital, Desio, Italy.
M
M
Zolezzi
Department of Pathology, Desio Hospital, Desio, Italy.
C
C
Di Bella
Department of Pathology, Spedali Civili, Brescia, Italy.
V
V
Villanacci
Department of Pathology, Spedali Civili, Brescia, Italy.
M
M
Salemme
Department of Head and Neck, Desio Hospital, Desio, Italy.
U
U
Milanesi
Gastroenterology Unit, Perugia General Hospital, Perugia, Italy.
E
E
Antonelli
Department of Medicine, Desio Hospital, Desio, Italy.
V
V
Baldini
Gastroenterology and Hepatology Section, Department of Medicine, University of Perugia Medical School, Piazza Lucio Severi 1, 06132, San Sisto, Perugia, Italy. gabassot@tin.it.
G
G
Bassotti
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001301:Audiometry, Pure-Tone; D003093:Colitis, Ulcerative / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy; D005260:Female; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D055815:Young Adult
Extraintestinal manifestations; Hearing loss; Sensorineural; Ulcerative colitis