SENSORINEURAL HEARING LOSS IN PATIENTS WITH BEHCET'S DISEASE

Abstract

Five cases of the hearing disturbances observed in Behcet's disease were reported. They were all male, and four of them were complete type and one was incomplete without the occular symptome. From pure tone audiograms, they were diagnosed as the idiopathic bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, the sudden deafness, the unilateral sensorineural hearing loss or almost normal except for the 15dB impairment in 250Hz of the right ear. After additional detailed audiologic examinations, the inner ear lesion was suspected in each case. It took about a decade from the appearance of the initial symptome of the Behcet's disease to that of the hearing impairment. They were followed up for a period of more than six months in our clinic. During this period the hearing thresholds of them showed fluctuation and/or progression. The corticosteroid therapy which is now supposed to be contraindication for the occular symptome, was effective for the period of fluctuation or progression of the hearing loss. The combined therapy of the vasodilator, ATP and vitamin B complexes was also effective for that period.