Say WHAT? -- Sjogren's Syndrome and Hearing

Image found on Wikimedia, here.

A reader recently sent me an email asking if Sjogren's Syndrome can contribute to hearing problems. I told her that my short answer was "yup"; then told her that I would provide a more complete answer in an upcoming post. And, as promised, here it is.

Although I knew that autoimmune diseases can impact hearing, I was surprised to learn how prevalent this problem is for those of us who have reluctantly joined the Sjogren's Syndrome club.

Here are links and excerpts from two well written articles. The first is from the Vestibular Disorders Association or VeDA, found here:

AUTOIMMUNE INNER EAR DISEASE
What is autoimmunity? How is it connected to vestibular disorders? 

Parts of the immune system, working constantly and behind the scenes, patrol the body in search of foreign invaders and relentlessly attack them once found. On rare occasions, in some people the immune system runs amok, identifies the body itself as foreign, and launches a lethal attack. This self-attack is referred to as an autoimmune reaction. 

The immune system can attack just the ear, attack the ear and some other body part like the eye, or attack the entire body (including the ear). An autoimmune reaction also creates debris. Even if the ear is not being directly attacked, it can end up with debris transported from distant locations and deposited by the circulation. This debris in the ear can cause problems. 

Some autoimmune disorders that can affect the ear include Cogan’s syndrome, relapsing polychondritis, polyarteritis nodosa, Wegener’s granulomatosis, systemic lupus erythematosus, ulcerative colitis, Sjogren’s syndrome, and rheumatoid arthritis. (Bolding mine - Julia) Continue reading here. 

This was found on Sjogren's Syndrome News, found here.

Sjögren Syndrome Patients Show Early Signs of Hearing Loss, Study Finds
by Patricia Inacio, PhD 

Women with Sjögren syndrome show particularly high levels of hearing loss and language recognition impairments compared to healthy women or those with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), study reports. 

The research, “Early hearing loss detection in rheumatoid arthritis and primary Sjögren syndrome using extended high frequency audiometry,” was published in the journal Clinical Rheumatology. 

Hearing loss is a common feature in patients with autoimmune diseases. It is hypothesized that the condition is caused by autoantibodies that damage the inner ear, but the exact mechanisms are not fully known. 

In an attempt to understand the audiological behavior of patients with rheumatoid arthritis and primary Sjögren syndrome with those of healthy subjects, researchers recruited patients from the Center of Specialties in Arthritis and Rheumatology at the University Hospital Dr. José Eleuterio González in Monterrey, Mexico, between August 2014 and August 2016. Continue reading here. 

Do you experience hearing loss as part of your autoimmune disease manifestations?