HEARING LOSS AND ANTIOXIDANTS IN CHRONIC HEMODIALYSIS PATIENTS

No satisfactory explanation has been made about chronic hemodialysis-induced hearing loss, yet. This study has been aimed to investigate whether there is a possible role of changes in antioxidant defense mechanisms in chronic hemodialysis-induced hearing loss. Sixty-six patients with chronic renal failure and 22 healthy volunteers were included in the study. The patients were divided into two groups as group 1 and 2 on the basis of the presence and absence of hearing loss, respectively. Forty-seven of 66 patients had hearing loss and nine-ten had not hearing loss. The controls were admitted as group 3. In all patients and controls audiologic tests were performed and the activities of antioxidants, and blood urea nitrogen, creatinin, uric acid, and albumin, and hearing threshold values were determined.

This study showed that decreasing in antioxidant enzymes activities in chronic hemodialysis patients might have an important role in hearing loss.