An evaluation of auditory perception in patients with vitamin B12 deficiency

Aim: The aim of our study was to investigate the effect of vitamin B12 deficiency on auditory perception using the Amsterdam Inventory for Auditory Disability and Handicap (AIADH). Material and Method: Fifty-one adult patients diagnosed with vitamin B12 deficiency (200 pg/mL) were included in this prospective, case-control study. All the patients’ thyroid function tests and iron, ferritin, and folic acid values were within normal ranges. All underwent full ear, nose, and throat examinations and audiometry and tympanometry measurements. The AIADH was applied to all the participants, and the results were compared between the groups. Results: Vitamin B12 deficiency and control groups both consisted of 34 women and 17 men, and no significant difference was observed between the groups in terms of age or gender (p=0.781 and p=1.00, respectively). AIADH scores were significantly higher in the vitamin B12 deficiency group than in the control group (p< 0.001). The AIADH scores of women with vitamin B12 deficiency were significantly higher than those of the women in the control group (p< 0.001). AIADH scores were also significantly higher in the men with vitamin B12 deficiency than in the men from the control group (p< 0.001). There was no statistically significant difference in AIADH scores between men and women with vitamin B12 deficiency (p=0.33). No significant gender difference in AIADH scores was also determined in the control group (p=0.71). Conclusion: AIADH scores was significantly higher in individuals with vitamin B12 deficiency than in those with normal vitamin B12 levels. This supports that vitamin B12 deficiency has a deleterious effect on auditory perception in individuals without hearing loss, irrespective of gender.