Hearing Impairment and Audiological Alterations in Euthyroid Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> Hearing loss may be associated with autoimmune diseases, but it was less studied in Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT). We aimed to evaluate hearing impairment and audiological alterations in adults with euthyroid HT. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> Adult patients with euthyroid HT (normal thyroid functions, positive antithyroid peroxidase (anti-TPO)/anti-thyroglobulin, and sonographic findings) were compared with controls. We excluded pregnant or older patients (&#x3e;40 years), those with a history of otological/audiological disease or surgery, otitis media, acoustic trauma, chronic illnesses, use of alcohol, cigarette, medications, rheumatoid factor, antinuclear, antimitochondrial, antiparietal, antineutrophil cytoplasmic, anti-smooth muscle, or antigliadin antibodies, abnormal biochemical or otological findings. Tympanometry which indicates tympanic peak pressure (TPP, daPa), acoustic reflex testing (ART), pure-tone average (PTA), and transient evoked otoacoustic emission (TEOAE) were performed. We grouped the participants according to ART (positive/negative), TEOAE (normal/undetected), and PTA (≤20/&#x3e;20 decibel). <b><i>Results:</i></b> Air conduction thresholds on the right ear at 500, 4,000, 6,000, and 8,000 Hz, PTA, and the left ear at 250, 4,000, 6,000, and 8,000 Hz were higher in euthyroid HT (<i>n</i> = 36) than in controls (<i>n</i> = 40) (<i>p</i> &#x3c; 0.05). We found less negative TPP and a higher ratio of negative ART in euthyroid HT (<i>p</i> &#x3c; 0.05). Euthyroid HT predicted undetected TEOAE and increased hearing threshold on the right ear at 500 and 8,000 Hz (<i>p</i> &#x3c; 0.001). TEOAE detected audiological abnormality at a higher rate. Anti-TPO was positively correlated with TPP and air conduction thresholds, except the right ear at 8,000 Hz. <b><i>Discussion/Conclusion:</i></b> Hearing and audiological tests may be impaired in euthyroid HT. We recommend close monitoring of audiological functions in these patients. TE­OAE more specifically indicates audiological abnormality.

The Differences between Gluten Sensitivity, Intestinal Biomarkers and Immune Biomarkers in Patients with First-Episode and Chronic Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a heterogeneous disorder without a fully elucidated etiology and mechanisms. One likely explanation for the development of schizophrenia is low-grade inflammation, possibly caused by processes in the gastrointestinal tract related to gluten sensitivity. The aims of this study were to: (1) compare levels of markers of gluten sensitivity, inflammation and gut permeability, and (2) determine associations between gluten sensitivity, inflammation, and intestinal permeability in patients with first-episode/chronic (FS/CS) schizophrenia and healthy individuals (HC). The total sample comprised 162 individuals (52 FS; 50 CS, and 60 HC). The examination included clinical variables, nutritional assessment, and serum concentrations of: high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), soluble CD14 (sCD14), anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae antibody (ASCA), antigliadin antibodies (AGA) IgA/IgG, antibodies against tissue transglutaminase 2 (anti-tTG) IgA, anti-deamidated gliadin peptides (anti-DGP) IgG. A significant difference between groups was found in sCD14, ASCA, hs-CRP, IL-6 and AGA IgA levels. AGA IgG/IgA levels were higher in the FS (11.54%; 30.77%) and CS (26%; 20%) groups compared to HC. The association between intestinal permeability and inflammation in the schizophrenic patients only was noted. The risk for developing schizophrenia was odds ratio (OR) = 4.35 (95% confidence interval (CI 1.23–15.39) for AGA IgA and 3.08 (95% CI 1.19–7.99) for positive AGA IgG. Inflammation and food hypersensitivity reactions initiated by increased intestinal permeability may contribute to the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. The immune response to gluten in FS differs from that found in CS.