The impact of menopausal status on auditory brainstem responses.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Retrospective cross-sectional chart review
PubMed 37778111 · doi:10.1016/j.amjoto.2023.104067
What was done
A retrospective chart review conducted at an academic medical center evaluated auditory brainstem response (ABR) measurements across 164 subjects (reported as 101 females and 64 males). The study compared pre-menopausal females, post-menopausal females, and age-matched males. Measured outcomes included wave I, III, and V latencies, interpeak latencies, wave I, III, and V amplitudes, and the wave V/I amplitude ratio.
What was found
The abstract reports directions of effect and significance without providing exact numerical values, standard deviations, or p-values: - Post-menopausal females had significantly longer wave V latencies, smaller wave I amplitudes, and higher wave V/I amplitude ratios compared to pre-menopausal females. - Pre-menopausal females had significantly shorter wave III and wave V latencies than younger males. - Post-menopausal females had significantly shorter wave III and wave V latencies than older males. - A two-way ANOVA revealed a significant interaction between age category and gender on the wave V/I amplitude ratio.
Why it matters
These findings suggest that differences in auditory nerve response (wave I amplitude) between pre- and post-menopausal women may relate to estrogen changes rather than age-related peripheral hearing decline alone.
Limits
This was a retrospective chart review, preventing causal inference. The abstract provides no exact quantitative values, effect sizes, or confidence intervals. Circulating estrogen concentrations were not directly measured. There is also an internal arithmetic discrepancy in the abstract's participant count (164 total vs. 101 female and 64 male).