[Lipid profile and hearing-loss aged-related].

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: Presbycusis is the most prevalent cause of hearing-loss in the older, but pathogenesis is not well-know. The premise of this study is that hyperlipemia increase risk of age-related hearing-loss.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: 180 patient more than 65 years-old were studied. All patients had bilateral hearing-loss and no renal, neurological, thyriod or middle-ear pathology. We explored serum levels of cholesterol, HDL, LDL and triglycerides. We performed tonal audimetry in all patients.

RESULTS: The 71% of patients has hypercholesteremia and the highest serum levels were detected in 65-69 years-old men (mean media 5,27). Patients with hypercholesteremia had worse hearing-loss than patients with normal lipid serum levels (p < .05).

CONCLUSIONS: Our study sugest that hypercholesteremia are associated to age-related hearing-loss, possibly by an atherosclerosis mechanism.