Assessment of serum antibodies in patients with rapidly progressive sensorineural hearing loss and Meniere's disease

Author(s): Billings, P. B., Keithley, E. M., Weisman, M. H., Harris, J. P.

Journal/Book: Laryngoscope. 1995; 105: 10 S Broadway, 14TH Floor, St Louis, MO 63102-1741. Laryngoscope Co. 1347-1352.

Abstract: The immunoreactivity of sera from patients with rapidly progressive sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) or Meniere's disease with bovine inner ear material was determined using the Western blot technique. Patients with other otologic conditions, autoimmune disorders, or arthritic disorders and age-matched randomly chosen patients with no hearing complaints served as controls. Twenty-two percent of the patients with bilateral rapidly progressive SNHL and 30% of the patients with Meniere's disease had antibodies that reacted with a 68 kd antigen in the inner ear material. In the control groups, the incidence of reactivity was 5.0% (P<.001). When the results of this study were compiled with data collected previously, it was found that of 279 patients with bilateral rapidly progressive SNHL, 90 (32%) were positive with the 68 kd protein. Thus, the anti-68 kd antibody may provide a good marker for an immune etiology of these patients' hearing loss.

Note: Article JP Harris, Univ Calif San Diego, Thornton Hosp, 9300 Campus Point Dr, La Jolla, CA 92037 USA

Keyword(s): II COLLAGEN

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