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Inner ear autoantibodies in patients with rapidly progressive sensorineural hearing loss
Author(s) -
Harris Jeffrey P.,
Sharp Patricia A.
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
the laryngoscope
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.181
H-Index - 148
eISSN - 1531-4995
pISSN - 0023-852X
DOI - 10.1288/00005537-199005000-00015
Subject(s) - autoantibody , sensorineural hearing loss , inner ear , medicine , hearing loss , autoimmune disease , antigen , western blot , immunology , autoimmunity , immune system , antibody , audiology , pathology , biology , anatomy , genetics , gene
Recognition of immune‐mediated sensorineural deafness that responds to immunosuppressive therapy has led to a search for a diagnostic assay to identify inner ear autoantibodies. Without a confirmed diagnosis of autoimmune disease, many patients have undergone inappropriate immunosuppressive treatment or developed irreversible inner ear damage. Serum from patients with progressive sensorineural hearing loss (N=54), ulcerative colitis (N=5), normal controls (N=14), and animals with experimental autoimmune sensorineural hearing loss (EASNHL) were analyzed by Western blot against fresh bovine inner ear antigen preparations. The hearing loss group (19 [35%]) showed a single‐or double‐band migrating at 68,000 molecular weight (MW), differing from the normal group (1 of 14 [7%]) which showed a similar band ( P = .031). Upon analysis by two‐dimensional gel electrophoresis both the EASNHL guinea pigs and a patient reacted against identical components of inner ear antigen. These results suggest an autoimmune basis for disease in patients reacting against the 68,000 MW antigen.