Organ of hearing and balance in peri- and postmenopausal women. Effects of hormone replacement therapy on hearing and balance in peri- and post-menopausal women: The current state of knowledge.

Abstract

Sensory-neural hearing loss in people over 50 - senile deafness - is currently an increasing problem due to the growing proportion of the elderly people in the population. We can find a number of worldwide publications on hearing loss and dizziness in peri-menopausal women, but the data is inconsistent. Reports describing the influence of sex hormones on the ear and its aging are similarly controversial. This review attempts to summarize the current state of knowledge regarding hearing and balance in women during menopause, based on recent studies in this field. It describes the possible causes of hearing and balance impairment in post-menopausal women other than the mere physiological aging of the ear. The review concludes that impairment of hearing and balance is significantly related to osteoporosis, which results from estrogen deficiency during menopause. It also presents the results of studies on the impact of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and of particular hormonal components of HRT on hearing and balance. The European population is aging, so accurate knowledge about the effects of HRT on hearing and balance is crucial in the context of improving the quality of life of elderly women through appropriate qualification for hormone substitution therapy. Further detailed and extensive study is necessary to verify the impact of sex hormones on hearing in post-menopausal women, taking into account the type of HRT used, serum hormone levels and the presence or absence of osteoporosis.