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Hearing loss: An unknown complication of pre‐eclampsia?
Author(s) -
Terzi Hasan,
Kale Ahmet,
Hasdemir Pinar Solmaz,
Selcuk Adin,
Yavuz Arzu,
Genc Selahattin
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
journal of obstetrics and gynaecology research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.597
H-Index - 50
eISSN - 1447-0756
pISSN - 1341-8076
DOI - 10.1111/jog.12505
Subject(s) - medicine , eclampsia , sensorineural hearing loss , pure tone audiometry , audiology , prospective cohort study , audiometry , hearing loss , pregnancy , obstetrics , otoacoustic emission , cochlea , surgery , genetics , biology
Aim The aim of this study was to determine whether pre‐eclampsia is a risk factor for cochlear damage and sensorineural hearing impairment. Material and Methods This prospective case–control study consisted of 33 patients with pre‐eclampsia and 32 normotensive pregnant patients as controls. All of the subjects underwent otoscopic examinations – pure tone audiometry (0.25–16 kHz) and transient evoked otoacoustic emission (1–4 kHz) tests – during their third trimester of pregnancy. Results The mean ages of the patients with pre‐eclampsia and the control subjects were 29.6 ± 5.7 and 28.6 ± 5.3 years, respectively. The baseline demographic characteristics, including age, gravidity, parity number, and gestational week, were similar between the two patient groups. Hearing thresholds in the right ear at 1, 4, 8, and 10 kHz and in the left ear at 8 and 10 kHz were significantly higher in the patients with pre‐eclampsia compared to the control subjects. The degree of systolic blood pressure measured at the time of diagnosis had a deteriorating effect on hearing at 8, 10, and 12 kHz in the right ear and at 10 kHz in the left ear. Conclusions Pre‐eclampsia is a potential risk factor for cochlear damage and sensorineural hearing loss. Further studies that include routine audiological examinations are needed in these patients.