Serum fetuin-a level and clinical significance in patients with sudden hearing loss

Objective: Sudden hearing loss is an acute event in the past social life that can cause permanent hearing loss if not treated. Many causes have been considered in the etiopathogenesis, but they are still not fully elucidated. Therefore, there is no definitive treatment. The most important prognostic factor is early diagnosis and initiation of treatment. There are four mechanisms thought to be responsible for the pathophysiology of sudden hearing loss. These mechanisms organs: viral protection, vascular pathologies, intracochlear membrane ruptures and autoimmune diseases. Fetuin-A may play a role in inflammation and atherosclerosis. The fetuin-A levels in the serum of these patients with sudden sensorineural hearing loss were measured. The goal is to shed light on the etiology of sudden hearing loss, to use it as a biomarker in etiology, and to offer alternatives to treatment methods. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional, case-control study was implemented on 43 patients, aged between 16-75 years, who received treatment for sudden hearing loss; whereas 43 healthy volunteers constituted the control group. Pure tone audiometry was performed on the patients who presented with hearing loss and sudden hearing loss was diagnosed. Before starting their treatment, blood samples were taken from the patients and the control group into biochemistry tubes. The collected blood was centrifuged and the serum was separated. From these serums, fetuin-A was measured using a commercial kit. Findings : In our study, fetuin-A levels were found to be significantly different between the patient group and the control group. Fetuin-A level was found to be 292.56 ug/ml in the patient group, while it was 412.1 in the control group. (p=0.001) When the age, gender, smoking and/or alcohol use of the patients, chronic disease, chronic drug use, affected ear side, history of exacerbation, place of residence, degree of hearing loss, and type of audiometry examination were evaluated, there was no significant difference in terms of fetuin-A values. not found. However, it was found statistically significant that the Fetuin-A (ug/ml) value of the patients with a history of ulcers was lower than those without a history of ulcers (p=0.025; p<0.05). Results: The values of fetuin-A, which is important in atherosclerosis and inflammatory process, in patients with sudden hearing loss were investigated and its effect on the course of the disease was evaluated. Fetuin-A levels in the patient group were found to be lower than in the control group in accordance with the literature. With this study, it is thought that fetuin-A can be used as a biomarker while investigating the etiology of sudden hearing loss and may be useful when developing treatment methods. Keywords: Sudden hearing loss, fetuin-A, atherosclerosis, inflammation