Evaluation of hearing in patients with beta thalassemia major

Abstract EN

This prospective study was conducted in Basrah Teaching Hospital to evaluate the hearing of β thalassemia major patients, and to find the association between desferoxamine (DFO) therapy and hearing loss (HL).

Pure tone eudiometry (PTA) and tympanometry was done to determine hearing thresholds of (23) β thalassemia major patients and (50) non thalassemic subjects.

All subjects were more than 4 year old to allow PTA to be done.

The criteria of evaluation included a full otological history, drug history, otological examination, audiological evaluation using PTA and tympanometry.

This study found that (6) out of (23) thalassemic patients and (6) out of (50) non thalassemic patients have hearing loss.

From those thalassemic patients with HL, (5) patients have conductive hearing loss (CHL) and one have sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL), while the non thalassemic patients with HL all have CHL, also we found that (3) out of (5) thalassemic patients not on desferoxamine therapy have HL.

In conclusion, β thalassaemia major has no significant statistical association with hearing problems, and there is no significant statistical association between desferoxamine therapy and hearing loss.