Abstract
Wegener's granulomatosis manifests diverse symptoms, but the majority of cases presenting at outpatient departments complain of upper respiratory tract conditions, mainly related to nasal disorders. Here, we report our experience of a case who complained of hearing difficulties and whose condition was improved by the administration of a steroid agent and immunological suppressant. In addition, we studied the transition in aural acuity of cases with hearing difficulties that were reported in the past, by classifying them into unilateral, bilateral, conductive, perceptive and mixed deafness.
The frequency of cases whose aural acuity was improved by therapy was 1 in 4 cases (25%) of unilateral deafness, 10 in 16 cases (about 63%) of bilateral deafness, 1 in 3 cases (about 33%) of conductive deafness, 2 in 7 cases (about 29%) of perceptive deafness and 6 in 8 cases (75%) of mixed deafness.
The causes of deafness identified in these cases appeared to be:
1. Impairment of the middle ear or inner ear caused by granulation
2. Angitis
3. Impairment of the inner ear caused byinfection
4. Autoimmune response.
