Abstract
Objectives/Hypothesis: Otitis media has been associated with several auditory and developmental sequelae. Here, the results of auditory tests were evaluated in patients who had a first episode of unilateral otitis media and compared with the contralateral healthy ear. Study Design: Cohort study. Methods: This study was undertaken from 2015 to 2016, with a follow-up period of 6 months. Results: A total of 41 patients who had been diagnosed with unilateral acute otitis media were selected. Standard (250 Hz–8 kHz) and extended high-frequency (8 kHz–16 kHz) audiometry was performed within 5 days of the beginning of the clinical symptoms, and then in defined time frames for a period of 6 months. The results of the contralateral healthy ears were used as individual controls. After closure of the initial air-bone gap, the results of the standard audiometry did not demonstrate significant differences in the thresholds of diseased ears compared with controls. A significant elevation of the mean extended high-frequency thresholds in the ears affected by otitis media was observed at the first and subsequent appointments within the 6-month follow-up period. Diseased ears from patients who experienced tinnitus during the 6-month follow-up period had significantly higher thresholds in the extended high frequencies than diseased ears from patients without residual tinnitus. Conclusions: These results suggest that the first episode of otitis media may lead to persistent elevation of the mean thresholds of extended high-frequencies, whereas persistent tinnitus after 6 months of the acute infection is associated with more severe hearing loss. Level of Evidence: 2b Laryngoscope, 128:2879–2884, 2018.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 2879-2884 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | Laryngoscope |
| Volume | 128 |
| Issue number | 12 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Dec 2018 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:FC, RM, and ALK received funding from the Coordenadoria de Aper-feic¸oamento Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) e Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq).
Funding Information:
The authors thank our supporters Coordenadoria de Aperfei?oamento Pessoal de N?vel Superior (CAPES) e Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cient?fico e Tecnol?gico (CNPq). They are also grateful to Editage for English-language editing.
Funding Information:
The authors thank our supporters Coordenadoria de Aper-feic¸oamento Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) e Con-selho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq). They are also grateful to Editage for English-language editing.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 The American Laryngological, Rhinological and Otological Society, Inc.
Keywords
- Otitis media
- audiology
- chronic otitis media
- hearing loss
- sensorineural hearing loss