RESUMO
Thirty-nine patients with leprosy and fifteen sex- and age-matched controls were investigated for disorders of the fifth and seventh cranial nerves and that of the audiovestibular system. Sensorineural hearing loss found to be of cochlear origin was detected in eight (22%) of the patients with leprosy compared to none in the control group (p > 0.05). Vestibular dysfunction was noted in four patients (11.1%) compared to none in the control group (p < or = 0.05). Two cases were found to have fifth nerve involvement and one (2.8%) had seventh nerve involvement. None in the control group had fifth or seventh nerve deficit.
Assuntos
Nervo Facial/fisiopatologia , Hanseníase Virchowiana/fisiopatologia , Nervo Trigêmeo/fisiopatologia , Adulto , Testes Calóricos , Estudos de Casos e Controles , Feminino , Perda Auditiva Neurossensorial/etiologia , Perda Auditiva Neurossensorial/fisiopatologia , Humanos , Hanseníase Virchowiana/complicações , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Nervo Vestibular/fisiopatologiaRESUMO
100 leprosy patients were studied for audiovestibular involvement. Conductive hearing loss was detected in 6 cases of BT leprosy, all of them having coincidental chronic middle ear infection. Sensori-neural hearing loss was detected in 10 cases, of which 6 had LL, 2 BT and 2 pure neuritic type of disease respectively. All the cases of lepromatous leprosy having sensorineural hearing loss had evidence of ENL reaction. Vestibular involvement was not detected in any of the cases. Evaluation of audiovestibular function was also carried out in 50 fresh cases of leprosy and after 3 months, 6 months and 1 year of multidrug therapy to ascertain any ototoxic side effects of antileprosy drugs. No audiovestibular dysfunction was detected in these patients at any time during follow-up.