Normal brainstem auditory evoked potentials in adult hypothyroidism.

Nervous system dysfunction and hearing loss are part of the clinical picture of hypothyroidism. Several studies on visual evoked potential and two brainstem auditory evoked potential studies have shown abnormalities in this disease that are reversible with treatment. It has been suggested that visual evoked potential and brainstem auditory evoked potential could be useful to evaluate the effects of hypothyroidism on the central nervous system and to monitor the response to treatment. We recorded brainstem auditory evoked potentials in 15 adult hypothyroid patients immediately before treatment. All patients were women, ranging in age from 34 to 82 years. Fourteen also had an audiometric study. In five patients, both tests were repeated 20 to 22 months after treatment. Audiometry showed that hearing loss increased with age, suggesting that hearing loss in these patients could be secondary more to aging than to hypothyroidism. When compared to sex-matched controls of similar ages, our patients showed no statistically significant differences in brainstem auditory evoked potentials before treatment. Brainstem auditory evoked potential values were not modified in the five patients whose tests were repeated after treatment. The normality of these results raises serious objections to the clinical use of brainstem auditory evoked potential for central nervous system evaluation and therapy monitoring in adult hypothyroidism.