The role of dyslipidemia in sensorineural hearing loss in children

Objective: The relationship between dyslipidemia and hearing is controversial; especially in children, the available evidences are scarce. This study is designed to determine whether dyslipidemia is associated with sensorineural hearing loss in a group of 5-18-year-old children and adolescents. Methods: Through an analytic cross-sectional study, records of all 5-18-year-old children who attended the pediatric endocrinology clinic of Loghman Hospital in Tehran, Iran, between April 2007 and April 2009 were reviewed. Records with a lipid profile were determined. Lipid profiles were repeated for eligible cases; they were enrolled if the results were the same as before (normal or dyslipidemic). Hearing loss, speech discrimination scores and lipid profiles were analyzed. Results: When controlled for age and sex, no association between dyslipidemia and sensorineural hearing loss were found. There was also no statistically significant relationship between dyslipidemia and sensorineural hearing loss in different age groups. Conclusions: Dyslipidemia seems to have no association with sensorineural hearing loss in 5-18 years old children according to this study. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.