Hearing loss and systemic vasculitis: risk factors and clinical characteristics in patients at the Luis Guillermo Ibarra Ibarra National Rehabilitation Institute.

Resumen

Introduction: The inner ear requires significant blood flow. Vasculitis may influence this blood supply. This association has been little studied in Mexico. Studies have been reported in patients with granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) and healthy patients who reported hearing symptoms prior to the diagnosis of hearing loss. Children with GPA have also been reported, where hearing loss was the only initial symptom, highlighting the importance of audiological evaluation in these patients. Objective: To report the association between systemic vasculitis and hearing loss in patients at the institute.

Materials and methods: A retrospective case-control study in a population of patients aged 18 to 65 years, with or without vasculitis and with or without hearing loss, between January 2023 and December 2024. Exclusion criteria: trauma, ototoxicity, chronic otitis media, or uncontrolled metabolic disorders.

Results: A total population of 194 patients was studied, of whom 97 had hearing loss (case group) and 97 had normal hearing (controls). The mean age was 41.41 years in the case group and 36.06 years in the control group (p = 0.004). Women predominated in both groups (60%). Hearing loss occurred in 40% of cases, predominantly at a severe to profound level and most frequently in both ears (80%). No statistically significant association was found between hearing loss and systemic vasculitis (p = 0.382). The most prevalent type of vasculitis in this study was granulomatosis with polyangiitis. The most frequently reported pre-existing symptoms were tinnitus and otalgia. Smoking was the most common comorbidity in cases of hearing loss.

Discussion: The alternative hypothesis between hearing loss and systemic vasculitis was not supported, but common causes of hearing loss (type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia, otitis media, and trauma) were excluded, reinforcing the validity of the findings. Conclusions: No statistically significant association was established between hearing loss and systemic vasculitis.