Middle ear disorders in patients with alpha 1-antitrypsin deficiency.

As it is not known whether individuals with alpha 1-antitrypsin deficiency show increased sequelae following otitis media, 52 patients with alpha 1-antitrypsin deficiency were studied with respect to history of middle ear disease, presence of irreversible pathologic changes of the tympanic membranes, and hearing ability. The middle ear status was determined on otomicroscopy, tympanometry, and pure-tone audiometry. The frequency of individuals with a history of otitis media was 50%. The frequency of individuals with pathologic tympanic membrane changes was no different from that shown in the results obtained in a Swedish normal population study. Minor conductive hearing losses were found in three patients of which only one was related to a history of middle ear disease. However, the history of acute severe complications from otitis media revealed a higher frequency in those individuals with alpha 1-antitrypsin deficiency as compared to normals.