Investigation of high-frequency hearing loss and outer hair cell function of the cochlea in patients with psoriasis: a case-control study.

The inner ear can be the target of autoimmune attacks, and sensorineural hearing loss can occur as a complication in various non-organ-specific autoimmune diseases. The aim of this study was to compare cochlear functions and hearing evaluation in patients with psoriasis and controls. In total, 29 patients with psoriasis and 30 healthy controls (HCs) were included in the study. Pure-tone audiometry at 250, 500, 1000, 2000, 4000, 8000, 10 000, 12 000, 14 000 and 16 000 Hz was performed for patients as HCs, as were immittance measures including tympanometry, acoustic reflex and otoacoustic emission testing. There were statistically significant (P < 0.05) differences between patients and HCs for pure-tone thresholds at high frequencies, and for distortion product otoacoustic emission (DPOAE) responses and signal : noise ratio at all frequencies. In our study, based on DPOAE and audiological findings, there was damage to the outer hair cells of the cochlea, resulting in high-frequency hearing loss in patients with psoriasis.