Ossicular Bone Damage and Hearing Loss in Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Correlated Functional and High Resolution Morphometric Study in Collagen-Induced Arthritic Mice.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Animal laboratory study
PubMed 27690307 · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0164078
What was done
Researchers examined whether middle ear ossicular bone damage correlates with hearing loss in a collagen-induced arthritis (RA) mouse model compared to age-matched controls. Middle ear diarthrodial joints were evaluated using micro-computed tomography (microCT), and auditory function was measured using auditory brainstem response (ABR) testing.
What was found
The abstract reports no exact numerical values. RA mice had significantly reduced hearing sensitivity relative to controls. High-resolution microCT demonstrated a significant narrowing of the incudostapedial joint space and increased porosity in the stapes. Absolute latencies for all ABR waves were significantly prolonged, whereas mean interpeak latencies showed no statistically significant difference, a pattern consistent with conductive hearing loss.
Why it matters
This study provides experimental animal evidence that rheumatoid arthritis can directly damage middle ear ossicular joints and bones, suggesting a conductive mechanism for RA-associated hearing loss.
Limits
Findings are limited to a murine model of arthritis and cannot directly establish human clinical outcomes. The abstract does not report the total number of mice tested (n), specific decibel hearing threshold shifts, or quantitative morphometric measurements. Potential inner ear, cochlear, or auditory nerve pathology was not assessed.
Cited by
- supports Individuals with autoimmune conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis or celiac disease have an increased risk of hearing loss due to inner ear injury and fixation of middle ear ossicular joints.