We have had numerous posts which have questioned whether ear/hearing issues are (or can be) associated with hypothyroidism.
This accessible paper, despite having a small number of subjects, is pretty clear that there is much association. Two sentences:
"The most common symptom of hypothyroidism with regard to ear, nose, and throat is hearing insufficiency accompanied with cochlea-vestibular symptoms such as tinnitus and dizziness. "
"It was found that hypothyroidism affects the ear at multiple sites producing various types of hearing impairment − namely, conductive, sensorineural, and mixed."
The effect of L-thyroxine hormone therapy on hearing loss in
hypothyroid patients
Mohammed M. Hussein a, Samir I. Asal b , Tarek M. Salem c, Ahmed M. Mohammed a
a Departments of Otorhinolaryngology,
b Audiology, c Endocrinology Unit, Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Alexandria, Alexandria, Egypt
Correspondence to Samir Ibrahim Asal, Assisstant Professor of Audiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Alexandria, Alexandria, Egypt. Tel: 012245 49955;
e-mail: samir_asal @yahoocom
Received 11 May 2017
Accepted 11 May 2017
The Egyptian Journal of Otolaryngology
2017, 33:637–644
Objective
The aim of this work was to study whether or not the hearing loss encountered in some hypothyroid patients can be improved with L-thyroxine hormone therapy, as other symptoms of hypothyroidism.
Study design
The study design was a prospective cohort one.
Patients and methods
This study included 30 patients of either sex who were proved to be in a hypothyroid state with an additional symptom of hearing impairment. The study was carried out in Alexandria Main University Hospital and was conducted in a prospective manner.
All selected patients were proved to be in a hypothyroid state in the Endocrinology Department. Moreover, their symptom of hearing impairment was confirmed by thorough audiological examination supplemented by pure-tone audiometry plus tympanometry that was carried out in the ENT Department and the associate Audiology Unit. L-thyroxine treatment for hypothyroidism was initiated in all cases for 6 months to maintain a state of euthyroidism. At the end of 6 months, a repeat audiogram and tympanometry were performed in all patients in order to evaluate the efficacy of the said treatment protocol on the hearing in these patients. Cases proved to have hearing impairment irrelevant to the hypothyroid condition were excluded. Informed consent was compulsory for recruitment in this study.
Results
Post-treatment assessment revealed that variable improvement was achieved in 48% of ears, whereas 52% did not respond to the given treatment, with the impairment remaining nearly the same as it was before. Of the improved ears, in 15% of ears hearing levels were restored to normal hearing levels. Thereby, adherence to replacement therapy may reverse the hearing deficits in a few number of hypothyroid patients.
Conclusion
There is a definitive improvement in hearing with the use of L-thyroxine treatment of hypothyroid patients with hearing impairment.
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