Association between cytogenetic alteration and the audiometric profile of individuals with Turner syndrome

Abstract

Introduction: Turner syndrome is a frequent genetic disorder that affects female individuals and covers a large phenotypic variability. Scientific literature suggests an association between hearing loss and Turner syndrome, but it remains a controversial topic. Objective: To associate the cytogenetic alteration with the audiometric profile of individuals with Turner syndrome. Methods: Cross-sectional study, with a hospital-based, convenience sample. Patients diagnosed with Turner syndrome were included and those with difficulty understanding the audiometry and/or other associated syndromes were excluded. The participants were studied with pure tone audiometry. Results: Of the 65 patients included, 36.9% had X chromosome monosomy and 63.0% had other alterations. Regarding the audiometry, 64.6% had normal thresholds and 35.3% had hearing impairment. Of these, 30.4% had hybrid hearing loss, 26.0% alteration at 6 and/or 8 kHz, 17.3% had conductive hearing loss, 13.0% sensorineural loss and 13.0% had mixed hearing loss. We observed that the mild degree was the most frequent one. There was no statistically significant association between the cytogenetic type of Turner syndrome and the presence or absence of hearing loss, or with the type and degree of hearing loss. Conclusion: The cytogenetic alteration in Turner syndrome was not associated with the audiometric profile, which showed variability regarding the type and degree of hearing loss.

Keywords

• Hearing loss
• Audiometry
• Hearing
• Hearing disorders
• Turner syndrome