Evaluation of relationship between skin involvement and hearing loss in patients with vitiligo

Vitiligo is a common acquired depigmented disorder of the skin that can lead to social negative outcomes, including reduced quality of life. Melanocytes disorder can also occur within other organs, such as ear. Different areas of the inner ear, such as the cochlear duct and vestibular system, have melanocytes. This study was conducted with the aim of evaluating the relationship between skin involvement and hearing loss in patients with vitiligo. This cross-sectional study was performed on 98 patients with vitiligo referring to the Dermatology Clinic of Shahid Beheshti Hospital of Kashan, Iran, in 2013. The skin involvement was evaluated using the Vitiligo Area Severity Index (VASI) by a dermatologist. Then, the patients were referred to an ear, nose, and throat specialist. The patients were subjected to audiometry, tympanometry, and auditory brainstem response (ABR). The inclusion criteria were age of 10-50 years without other underlying diseases and no causes of depigmentation and leukoderma. On the other hand, the patients with congenital hearing impairment and those taking ototoxic drugs, such as aminoglycosides, vancomycin, and thiazides, were excluded from the study. The severity of vitiligo did not have a statistically significant relationship with conductive hearing loss. Additionally, there was no correlation between vitiligo and sensory neural hearing loss. The clinical manifestation duration of vitiligo showed no significant relationship with conductive and sensory neural hearing loss. As the findings indicated, conductive and sensory neural hearing loss demonstrated no significant relationship with the incidence of clinical manifestation and extent of skin involvement.