Association between hearing severity and hematological findings at initial presentation in Meniere’s disease

BACKGROUND: Meniere's disease (MD) is characterized by progressive hearing loss; however, the factors determining its severity remain unclear. AIMS/OBJECTIVES: To investigate the clinical and hematological factors associated with hearing severity in MD. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective study included 112 patients with unilateral MD. Patients with bilateral disease or contralateral hearing loss ≥40 dB were excluded. Hearing severity was classified using AAO-HNS criteria based on pure-tone average (0.5, 1, 2, and 4 kHz), and patients were categorized into non-severe (stages I-II) and severe (stages III-IV) groups. Associations were analyzed using trend analysis, group comparisons, and multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS: Twenty-one patients were classified as severe. Hearing thresholds in the affected ear were significantly higher at all frequencies in the severe group. In the contralateral ear, higher thresholds were observed at 4 and 8 kHz. Increased severity was associated with older age, longer disease duration, higher hemoglobin, hematocrit, and creatinine levels, and lower estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) values. Multivariate analysis identified sex, hematocrit, and uric acid as independent factors. CONCLUSIONS AND SIGNIFICANCE: Hearing severity in MD was associated with male sex, longer disease duration, and findings suggestive of hemoconcentration and renal function impairment, indicating the role of systemic conditions.