Article
GPIa is a vascular risk factor in sudden hearing loss
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Published: | September 22, 2005 |
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Objective: In this study, we hypothesized that vascular risk factors that influence the development of atherosclerosis and blood flow may also be associated with the onset of sudden hearing loss (SHL).
Methods and Results: We measured total cholesterol, HDL and LDL cholesterol and fibrinogen plasma levels using routine laboratory methods. Fibrinogen and glycoprotein Ia (GPIa) polymorphisms were investigated by PCR analysis.
Genotype and allele frequencies of 142 patients were compared to those of 84 healthy control subjects of the same ethnic background using chi-square and odds-ratio analysis. Plasma lipid and fibrinogen levels were compared using Mann-Whitney-testing.
Total and LDL cholesterol levels were not, HDL cholesterol levels were positively correlated with SHL. The genotype GPIa T807T was associated with a 2.14-fold higher risk to suffer from SHL of greater than 60dB (p<0.007). Patients without hearing improvement three months after SHL had the highest fibrinogen levels and the highest incidence of GPIa T807T.
Conclusion: The classical coronary risk factors hypercholesterolemia and hypoalphalipoproteinemia are not associated with SHL. By contrast, the collagen receptor GPIa and fibrinogen seem to play a pathophysiological and/or prognostic role in SHL. These data may have implications for establishment of a risk factor model and new treatment strategies of SHL.