Cochlear sensitivity in children with chronic kidney disease and end-stage renal disease undergoing hemodialysis.

OBJECTIVES

Auditory system abnormalities commonly occur in patients with chronic renal disease and end-stage renal disease undergoing hemodialysis. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between cochlear sensitivity and hemodialysis in dialytic and non-dialytic chronic kidney disease patients.

METHODS

The study included children aged 6-18 years that were divided into 3 groups: 36 non-dialytic patients with chronic kidney disease, 16 end-stage renal disease patients undergoing hemodialysis, and 30 healthy controls. Blood urea nitrogen, serum cystatin C levels, duration of chronic kidney disease, and the duration of hemodialysis were compared between the chronic kidney disease patients and end-stage renal disease patients undergoing hemodialysis. Hearing health was measured via tympanometry, pure-tone audiometry and distortion product otoacoustic emissions testing.

RESULTS

Distortion product otoacoustic emission amplitudes and signal-to-noise ratios were significantly lower at all frequencies tested in the non-dialytic and dialytic groups than in the control group (p<0.05). Patients with normal hearing had significantly lower distortion product otoacoustic emission amplitudes and signal-to-noise ratios than the healthy controls (p<0.05). The duration of CKD, the cystatin C level, and the blood urea level were not associated with hearing loss. The present findings suggest that there was a significant association between the duration of HD and hearing loss.

CONCLUSION

The present findings show that there was impaired cochlear function in the dialytic and non-dialytic patient groups, regardless of hearing loss, as compared to the control group. Patients with chronic renal disease-both dialytic and non-dialytic-should be monitored to prevent any further deterioration by avoiding potential ototoxic agents, even if their hearing thresholds are within normal limits.