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Medial olivocochlear reflex in ankylosing spondylitis patients

Medialer olivocochleärer Reflex bei Patienten mit Spondylitis ankylosans

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Abstract

Objective

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic systemic inflammatory disease. Via autoimmune mediators, AS can damage the auditory system similar to other systems. Otoacoustic emission studies in AS patients showed that the damage that causes hearing loss was in the outer hair cells. The medial olivocochlear (MOC) reflex is used to evaluate the MOC efferent system (MOES), which includes the outer hair cells. The aim of this study was to evaluate the presence of subclinical damage in the inner ear with the aid of the MOC reflex test in AS patients with no hearing complaints.

Patients and methods

Thirty-four patients with AS and a control group of 30 healthy volunteers with similar demographic characteristics were evaluated in the study. Otoacoustic emission responses, MOC reflex results, and frequency-specific and total suppression findings were compared between the groups. The relationship between clinical and laboratory findings for the AS patients, and the MOC reflex data were also investigated.

Results

Reduced MOC reflex response (p = 0.04) and suppression (p = 0.019) were detected in AS patients. When the clinical and laboratory findings for the AS patients and the MOC reflex test results were compared, a significant correlation was found only between the MOC reflex and the erythrocyte sedimentation rate.

Conclusion

The results showed that AS can damage the inner ear, especially the MOES, and can reduce the MOC reflex response without clinical hearing loss.

Zusammenfassung

Ziel

Spondylitis ankylosans (AS) ist eine chronische systemische entzündliche Erkrankung. Über autoimmun wirkende Mediatoren kann die AS das Hörsystem – ähnlich wie andere Systeme – schädigen. Die Untersuchung otoakustischer Emissionen bei AS-Patienten ergab, dass die Schädigung, welche die Schwerhörigkeit bedingt, in den äußeren Haarzellen bestand. Der mediale olivocochleäre (MOC-)Reflex wird eingesetzt, um das mediale olivocochleäre efferente System (MOES) zu untersuchen, welches auch die äußeren Haarzellen umfasst. Ziel der vorliegenden Studie war es, das Vorliegen subklinischer Schädigungen im Innenohr mithilfe der Untersuchung des MOC-Reflexes bei AS-Patienten ohne Hörbeschwerden zu ermitteln.

Patienten und Methoden

In der Studie wurden 34 AS-Patienten und eine Kontrollgruppe von 30 gesunden Probanden mit ähnlichen demographischen Merkmalen untersucht. Die Ergebnisse der Messung der otoakustischen Emissionen, des MOC-Reflexes und frequenzspezifische Befunde sowie Gesamtbefunde für die (kontralaterale) Suppression wurden zwischen den beiden Gruppen verglichen. Der Zusammenhang zwischen den klinischen und den Laborbefunden für die AS-Patienten und den MOC-Reflex-Daten wurden ebenfalls untersucht.

Ergebnisse

Bei den AS-Patienten wurden eine abgeschwächte Reaktion auf die Prüfung des MOC-Reflexes (p = 0,04) und bei der Untersuchung der Suppression (p = 0,019) festgestellt. Im Rahmen des Vergleichs der klinischen und der Laborbefunde für die AS-Patienten mit den Ergebnissen beim MOC-Reflex-Test stellte sich eine signifikante Korrelation nur zwischen dem MOC-Reflex und der Blutkörperchensenkungsgeschwindigkeit heraus.

Schlussfolgerung

Die vorliegenden Ergebnisse zeigen, dass durch AS das Innenohr, insbesondere das MOES, geschädigt werden und die Reaktion beim MOC-Reflex auch ohne bestehende klinische Schwerhörigkeit abgeschwächt sein kann.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Recep Tayyip Erdogan University, Sehitler Caddesi, No: 74, 53020, Islampasa Mahallesi, Rize, Turkey

    M. S. Beyazal

  2. Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Recep Tayyip Erdogan University, Rize, Turkey

    A. Özgür, S. Terzi & E. Dursun

  3. Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Recep Tayyip Erdogan University, Rize, Turkey

    M. Çeliker

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  1. M. S. Beyazal
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  2. A. Özgür
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  3. S. Terzi
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  4. M. Çeliker
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  5. E. Dursun
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Correspondence to M. S. Beyazal.

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Conflict of interest

M.S. Beyazal, A. Özgür, S. Terzi, M. Çeliker, and E. Dursun declare that there are no conflicts of interest and that there is no support or funding for research in this study.

All studies on humans described in the present manuscript were carried out with the approval of the responsible ethics committee and in accordance with national law and the Helsinki Declaration of 1975 (in its current, revised form). Informed consent was obtained from all patients included in studies.

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U. Müller-Ladner, Bad Nauheim

U. Lange, Bad Nauheim

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Beyazal, M.S., Özgür, A., Terzi, S. et al. Medial olivocochlear reflex in ankylosing spondylitis patients. Z Rheumatol 75, 1016–1020 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00393-016-0100-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00393-016-0100-8

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