Evaluation of auditory and vestibular functions in beta thalassemia patients undergoing chelation therapy

Hearing loss and vestibular system disorders are diseases seen in all age groups in our country. The aim of this study was to evaluate the auditory and vestibular functions of beta thalassemia patients who received chelation therapy. Patients (n = 40) who were followed up with a diagnosis of beta thalassemia by the Department of Pediatric Hematology at Çukurova University between July 2019 and November 2020 and received regular blood transfusion and chelation therapy were included in our study. All tests were applied in the Audiology Unit of Çukurova University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Otorhinolaryngology. Participants' age, gender, tympanogram curves, acoustic reflexes, pure tone averages, sensorineural hearing losses, VOR gain of each semicircular canal in both ears, p1-n1 wave latencies, thresholds and latency asymmetries of both ears were analyzed and statistical analysis was performed. All these values were compared with the control group (n = 25). It was determined that the average age of 40 patients (17 females, 23 males) included in our study was 18.7 (median 17.5). In order to evaluate the auditory functions, the average of pure tone frequencies 0.5 kHz 1 kH 2 kHz and 4 kHz were examined. VOR gains were examined with V-HIT. Wave latencies, thresholds and latency asymmetry values were examined by C-VEMP test. Compared to the control group, there was no significant difference in vestibular tests, tympanogram and acoustic reflex tests, while a statistically significant difference was found in terms of sensorineural hearing loss. As a result; It was found that chelation therapy had no statistically significant effect on vestibular functions. However, when evaluated in terms of sensorineural hearing loss, a statistically significant difference was observed. In addition, it was found that demographic characteristics such as age and gender of the patients who received chelation therapy had no effect on the auditory and vestibular systems. Keywords: Beta Thalassemia, Vestibular Function, Auditory Function, Chelation Therapy, Video Head Impulse Test