A STUDY OF SERUM LIPID PROFILE IN CLINICALLY DIAGNOSED PATIENTS OF SENSORINEURAL HEARING LOSS.

Background and Objectives:-Deafness one neglected chronic condition is the most prevalent sensory disability across nations and the etiology and pathogenesis of sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL), a type of deafness are not fully understood. Therefore this study was conducted to determine the correlation between serum lipid parameters and SNHL. Material and Methods:- This hospital based case control study included a total of 108 subjects (54-control, 54-clinically diagnosed cases of SNHL), aged 18 years and above. In all the subjects a 12 hour fasting serum lipid parameters were estimated by colorimetric method using commercially available kits in semi auto analyser MICROLAB 300 (Merck). Results:- The mean age of the cases was 48.31 years and of the control group was 43.96 years without any statistical difference (p > 0.05). Serum total cholesterol, triglyceride, LDL and VLDL levels were found to be increased and serum HDL level was found to be decreased in subjects with SNHL as compared to controls with a significance of p < 0.001. The level of serum triglyceride and VLDL increased with the severity of the degree of SNHL. Conclusion:- Serum lipid profile can be used as an indicator of severity of SNHL as hyperlipidaemia seems to be significantly correlated with occurrence of SNHL.