Rawool Vishakha W, Harrington Brian T
West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA.
Audiol Neurootol. 2007;12(2):127-36. doi: 10.1159/000097799. Epub 2006 Dec 6.
In osteoarthritis, the joint cartilage breaks down. Cartilage exists within the incudomalleolar and incudostapedial joints. In addition, the cartilage-covered base of the stapes footplate is bound to the cartilage-covered rim of the oval window by the annular ligament. Thus, higher prevalence of middle ear abnormalities and hearing loss can be expected in osteoarthritis due to degeneration of the cartilage and the subsequent abnormal repair response. In this study, tympanometric and audiometric data were obtained from 15 individuals diagnosed with osteoarthritis and 15 gender- and age-matched individuals without the diagnosis of arthritis. Results showed a significantly higher prevalence of middle ear abnormalities and hearing loss in ears with arthritis when compared to the control group. Interestingly, osteoarthritis and hearing loss are considered among the top chronic health concerns in older individuals although the connection between these two conditions has not been previously reported.
在骨关节炎中，关节软骨会分解。软骨存在于砧镫关节和镫骨足板关节内。此外，镫骨足板覆盖软骨的基部通过环状韧带与椭圆窗覆盖软骨的边缘相连。因此，由于软骨退变及随后的异常修复反应，预计骨关节炎患者中耳异常和听力损失的患病率会更高。在本研究中，从15名被诊断为骨关节炎的个体以及15名年龄和性别匹配但未诊断出关节炎的个体中获取了鼓室图和听力测定数据。结果显示，与对照组相比，患有关节炎的耳朵中耳异常和听力损失的患病率显著更高。有趣的是，尽管此前尚未报道这两种情况之间的联系，但骨关节炎和听力损失被认为是老年人最主要的慢性健康问题。
