Is pseudoexfoliation associated with sensorineural hearing loss?

Objective: To determine the possible relation between pseudoexfoliation (PSX) and sensorineural hearing loss.

Methods: This study was carried out in Afyon Kocatepe University, Afyon, Turkey between July 2002 and June 2005. Sixty-three patients who were found to have ocular PSX on routine biomicroscopic examination, and 38 age-matched control subjects were evaluated for evidence of audiometric abnormality. The sum of pure-tone hearing threshold measured at 250-2000 Hz, 2000-6000 Hz, and 250-6000 Hz in each ear was compared with controls for the same frequencies.

Results: The mean age of the patients was 68.4+/-10.3 years. All patients had PSX affecting at least one eye. Fifty (79.4%) patients with PSX, and 10 (26.3%) control subjects were found to have hearing loss (p=0.00, chi-square). From the 50 patients with PSX who had hearing loss, 34 patients had bilateral PSX, and 16 patients had unilateral PSX. Twenty-nine patients had high frequency hearing loss, while 20 patients had hearing loss in all frequencies. Forty-eight patients with PSX and 7 controls had bilateral sensorineural hearing loss (p=0.030).

Conclusion: Sensorineural hearing loss was seen more frequently in patients with PSX in comparison with age-matched control subjects.