Article

The purpose of the present investigation was to determine whether differences
exist in audiometric hearing status between individuals with and without multiple
sclerosis (MS) and between individuals with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) and
individuals with secondary progressive MS (SPMS). Forty-seven subjects with MS
(26 with RRMS and 21 with SPMS) and forty-nine control subjects without MS
completed both a comprehensive case-history questionnaire and a conventional
hearing evaluation. Statistical analyses, accounting for the potential
confounding factors of age, sex, noise exposure, and use of ototoxic medications,
revealed significant differences in hearing thresholds between subjects with and
without MS at select audiometric test frequencies (p < 0.05). At these
audiometric test frequencies, the subjects with MS had poorer hearing thresholds.
Additional analyses revealed significant differences in hearing sensitivity at
select audiometric frequencies between the subjects with RRMS and the subjects
with SPMS, such that those with SPMS had poorer hearing thresholds. These
findings have significant clinical implications for practitioners working with
patients with MS.

Langue : ANGLAIS