Abstract
Describe hearing complaints and alterations in individuals with systemic sclerosis (SS) and to verify the development of audiological manifestations. This is a cross-sectional study with a prospective phase, conducted in the period from 2012 to 2015, with patients with medical diagnosis of SS. Sociodemographic data, year of disease onset, year of diagnosis and disease subtype were collected. Later, audiological anamnesis was performed to identify complaints and symptoms and to investigate the performance of audiometry before the study and, after that, a basic audiological evaluation was conducted. Fifty individuals participated in the study. Dizziness and tinnitus were the most frequent symptoms. Hearing loss was identified in 23 (46%) individuals; most of them were of sensorineural type, of variable degrees and configurations. The analysis of hearing thresholds obtained in the audiological evaluation performed in 2012 and, later, in 2015, indicated onset or progression of hearing loss, with aggravation of 10dB in most frequencies evaluated, being more expressive in acute frequencies. High rate of hearing complaints and alterations in individuals with SS and onset and/or progression of hearing loss in those who underwent serial audiological evaluation were observed.
Highlights
Systemic sclerosis (SS) is a complex multisystemic disorder, with abnormalities in the immune system, connective tissue and vascular system
The clinical classification of SS has been recognized in two main categories, using the extent of skin involvement as discriminator: diffuse, which is characterized by generalized skin involvement, in addition to early involvement of internal organs; and limited, in which the skin involvement is usually restricted to fingers, forearm and face and late involvement of internal organs[3]
SS diagnosis was established according to the international criteria of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) - European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR)
Summary
Systemic sclerosis (SS) is a complex multisystemic disorder, with abnormalities in the immune system, connective tissue and vascular system. It is characterized by chronic inflammation, diffuse small vessel damage and progressive fibrosis in the skin and in various organs[1,2,3,4]. The incidence of SS was estimated at 0.6-122 per million people per year, and prevalence rates range from 4 to 489 cases per million individuals[5,6]. SS occurs in several geographic areas, with regional incidence differences, and in different races, with higher incidence rate in blacks compared to whites. The clinical classification of SS has been recognized in two main categories, using the extent of skin involvement as discriminator: diffuse, which is characterized by generalized skin involvement, in addition to early involvement of internal organs; and limited, in which the skin involvement is usually restricted to fingers, forearm and face and late involvement of internal organs[3]
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