[Autoimmune hearing loss: improving diagnostic performance].

OBJECTIVES

Due to the lack of specific serological markers for the diagnosis of immune-mediated hearing loss, an exhaustive immunologic work-up study for patients is usually performed. The aim of the present study is to find the most cost-effective laboratory tests used for the diagnosis of this entity.

PATIENTS AND METHOD

Comparative study between 2 groups of patients with a high suspicion of suffering diverse clinical forms of immune-mediated hearing loss, subjected to different serologic testing designs: the classical immunologic work-up study (125 patients) in comparison with a more restricted examination analysis (57 patients), based on a high risk profile recently reported.

RESULTS

Diagnostic efficiency was similar.

CONCLUSIONS

Since financial resources are limited, ANA and immunophenotype of PBL (peripheral blood lymphocytes) are recommended for the evaluation of a patient with suspected immune-mediated hearing loss.