Does bone mineral density have an effect on hearing loss in postmenopausal patients?

Objectives: An age-related decline in the bone mineral density (BMD) of the temporal bone, specifically in the segments that house the middle and inner ear, has been suggested as an additional risk factor for sensorineural hearing loss. We evaluated the effect of BMD on hearing loss in postmenopausal patients.

Methods: This study involved 120 postmenopausal women who were referred between May 1,2012, and September 1, 2012. The age range was 50 to 55 years (mean, 52.7 +/- 2.3 years). The subjects were divided into three groups according to the results of BMD measurements. Of these, 30 were control subjects with normal BMD values, 45 had osteopenia, and 45 had osteoporosis. Each subject was tested with low- and high-frequency audiometry by a single experienced investigator under standard audiometric testing conditions. For each set of tests, mean values of air and bone conduction at each frequency and tympanometric values were calculated for the osteopenia, osteoporosis, and control groups.

Results: All three groups were designed to have similar mean ages and roughly equal durations of menopause and body mass indexes. At low frequencies (0.25, 0.5, 1, and 2 kHz), the differences in the mean air conduction threshold values among the three groups were not statistically significant (p > 0.05). At high frequencies (4, 6, and 8 kHz), the difference in the mean air conduction threshold values between the osteopenia and control groups was not statistically significant (p > 0.05), but that in the osteoporosis group was statistically significantly higher than those in the osteopenia and control groups (p < 0.05). At low frequencies (0.5, 1, and 2 kHz), the differences in the mean bone conduction threshold values among the three groups were not statistically significant (p > 0.05). At 4 kHz, the difference in the mean bone conduction threshold values between the osteopenia and control groups was not statistically significant (p > 0.05), but that in the osteoporosis group was statistically significantly higher than those in the osteopenia and control groups (p < 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference among the three groups in tympanometric values (p > 0.05).

Conclusions: We conclude that patients with low BMD values should routinely be counseled for an audiological assessment to detect any change in hearing thresholds.