Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate cardiovascular risk factors and pre-clinical atherosclerosis in subjects affected by Idiopathic Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss (ISSHL). METHODS: In this study, 29 ISSHL patients and 29 healthy controls were evaluated. All of the patients underwent a complete audiovestibular and clinical evaluation. Carotid intima-media thickness (C-IMT) and flow-mediated dilation (FMD) of the brachial artery were assessed as early markers of atherosclerosis. RESULTS: Our results showed that FMD was significantly lower in the ISSHL patients than in the controls (5.6 ± 1.6% vs. 7.7 ± 3.7%, p < 0.01). Moreover, the total cholesterol and low density lipoprotein cholesterol were significantly higher in the ISSHL patients than in the controls (p < 0.05). The two groups did not differ with regards to C-IMT and other cardiovascular risk factors. Vestibular involvement was shown to be associated with lower FMD values (4.1 ± 1.7% vs. 5.8 ± 1.5%, p < 0.05). No relationship was found between C-IMT and vestibular involvement. Finally, multiple logistic regression highlighted the finding that only FMD values seemed to predispose individuals to developing ISSHL (p = 0.03, OR: 1.4). CONCLUSIONS: ISSHL seemed to be associated with vascular endothelial dysfunction and an increased cardiovascular risk, which supports the hypothesis of a vascular aetiology for this disease

Autore Pugliese

• Ciccone Marco Matteo , Quaranta Nicola Antonio Adolfo

Tutti gli autori

• CICCONE M.M.;QUARANTA N.A.A.

Titolo volume/Rivista

Non Disponibile

Anno di pubblicazione

2012

ISSN

0021-9150

ISBN

Non Disponibile

Numero di citazioni Wos

41

Ultimo Aggiornamento Citazioni

Non Disponibile

Numero di citazioni Scopus

43

Ultimo Aggiornamento Citazioni

Non Disponibile

Settori ERC

Non Disponibile

Codici ASJC

Non Disponibile