Cochlear Function in Adults with Epilepsy and Treated with Carbamazepine

Abstract

Background: Epilepsy is a chronic medical disease and is associated with comorbid adverse somatic conditions due to epilepsy itself or its long-term treatment. Objectives: This study evaluated cochlear function in patients with idiopathic epilepsy and treated with carbamazepine (CBZ). Patients and Methods: Included were 47 patients (mean age = 34.56 ± 7.11 years and duration of illness = 17.84 ± 7.21 years) and 40 healthy subjects. They underwent pure-tone audiometry and transient evoked otoacoustic emission (TEOAE) analyses. Results: Hearing loss (mainly bilateral mild) was reported in one third of patients. Compared to controls, patients had lower TEOAE amplitudes at 1.0–4.0 kHz particularly at high frequencies (3 and 4 kHz). Significant correlations were identified between TEOAE amplitudes with CBZ dose (at 3 kHz: r = –0.554, p = 0.008; at 4 kHz: r = –0.347, p = 0.01), its serum level (at 4 kHz: r = –0.280, p = 0.045) and duration of treatment (at 3 kHz: r = –0.392, p = 0.008; at 4 kHz: r = –0.542, p = 0.001). Conclusions: Long-term CBZ treatment may result in cochlear dysfunction and auditory deficits.

Gender-Specific Risk Factors and Comorbidities of Bothersome Tinnitus

“…Relationships between cardiovascular diseases and severe tinnitus have been reported previously ( Nondahl et al, 2002 ; Stobik et al, 2005 ; Park et al, 2014 ), however, the mechanisms linking cardiovascular health and tinnitus are poorly understood. In a recent study, tinnitus was found to be twice as prevalent in patients with epilepsy than control subjects, and the authors argue that tinnitus may be related to the disease itself as well as to its long-term drug treatment ( Hamed and Oseilly, 2018 ). Moreover, both conditions are linked to cortical hyperexcitability ( Chai et al, 2019 ).…”