title: Is there a relationship between premature hair greying and hearing impairment?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  There is evidence for a strong correlation between low bone mineral density and hearing loss. Furthermore, premature hair greying has been associated with low bone mineral density. Hence, this study aimed to investigate, for the first time, the relationship between premature hair greying and hearing impairment.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty patients with premature hair greying (20 women and 30 men), aged under 40 years (mean, 30.1 ± 4.9 years), who had onset of hair greying in their twenties, were recruited, along with 45 age- and sex-matched healthy control subjects (17 women and 28 men; mean age, 28.7 ± 5.1 years). Each participant was tested with low frequency audiometry at 0.125 to 2 kHz, high frequency audiometry at 4 to 8 kHz, and extended high frequency audiometry at 9 to 20 kHz.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Hearing thresholds were similar at all frequencies from 0.25 to 4 kHz (p > 0.05); however, significant hearing loss was observed at all frequencies from 8 to 20 kHz in the premature hair greying group compared with the control group (p < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients with premature hair greying had hearing impairment at extended high frequencies. Premature hair greying may be an important risk factor for hearing loss.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology,Dumlupınar University,Kutahya,Turkey.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ozbay
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine,Dumlupınar University,Kutahya,Turkey.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kahraman
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology,Dumlupınar University,Kutahya,Turkey.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kucur
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology,Dumlupınar University,Kutahya,Turkey.
authors.forename: N D
authors.initials: ND
authors.lastname: Namdar
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology,Dumlupınar University,Kutahya,Turkey.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Oghan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D019588:Aging, Premature; D001301:Audiometry, Pure-Tone / Q000379:methods; D001309:Auditory Threshold; D015519:Bone Density; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006200:Hair Color; D034381:Hearing Loss / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012307:Risk Factors
keywords: Aging; Hearing Loss; High Frequency; Premature