title: Examination of Hearing in a Rheumatoid Arthritis Population: Role of Extended-High-Frequency Audiometry in the Diagnosis of Subclinical Involvement.
abstract: Objective. The aim of this study is to analyze the high-frequency hearing levels in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and to determine the relationship between hearing loss, disease duration, and immunological parameters. Materials and Methods. A descriptive cross-sectional study including fifty-three patients with rheumatoid arthritis was performed. The control group consisted of 71 age- and sex-matched patients from the study population (consecutively recruited in Madrid "Area 9," from January 2010 to February 2011). Both a pure tone audiometry and an extended-high-frequency audiometry were performed. Results. Extended-high-frequency audiometry diagnosed sensorineural hearing loss in 69.8% of the patients which exceeded the results obtained with pure tone audiometry (43% of the patients). This study found significant correlations in patients with sensorineural hearing loss related to age, sex, and serum anti-cardiolipin (aCL) antibody levels. Conclusion. Sensorineural hearing loss must be considered within the clinical context of rheumatoid arthritis. Our results demonstrated that an extended-high-frequency audiometry is a useful audiological test that must be performed within the diagnostic and follow-up testing of patients with rheumatoid arthritis, providing further insight into a disease-modifying treatment or a hearing loss preventive treatment.
authors.affiliation: "Severo Ochoa" University Hospital, 28911 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Mar
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lasso de la Vega
authors.affiliation: "Puerta de Hierro-Majadahonda" University Hospital, 28222 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Ithzel Maria
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Villarreal
authors.affiliation: "Severo Ochoa" University Hospital, 28911 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Julio
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lopez-Moya
authors.affiliation: "Puerta de Hierro-Majadahonda" University Hospital, 28222 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Jose Ramon
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Garcia-Berrocal