Central and Peripheral Auditory Pathway Integrity in Multiple Sclerosis: A Case-Control Study Utilizing ABR and OAE

Nawres Thamer Mohammed; Ehab Taha Yaseen; Mohamed Abduljalil Al Tamimi

doi:10.54133/ajms.v9i2.2324

Authors

Nawres Thamer Mohammed Audiology Unit, Department of Surgery, College of Medicine, Mustansiriyah University, Baghdad, Iraq https://orcid.org/0009-0008-4805-6050
Ehab Taha Yaseen Otolaryngology Unit, Department of Surgery, College of Medicine, Mustansiriyah University, Baghdad, Iraq https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8040-5398
Mohamed Abduljalil Al Tamimi Neurosurgery Unit, Department of Surgery, College of Medicine, Mustansiriyah University, Baghdad, Iraq https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2493-4452

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54133/ajms.v9i2.2324

Keywords:

ABR, Auditory pathway, Autoimmune diseases, Demyelinating diseases, Multiple sclerosis, Otoacoustic emissions

Abstract

Background: Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a demyelinating neurodegenerative autoimmune disease. Auditory brainstem response (ABR) testing can detect subtle disturbances in auditory signal transmission, localize retrocochlear pathway lesions, and evaluate treatment effectiveness in MS patients. Objective: Evaluate the function of central and peripheral auditory pathways in MS patients using ABR and OAE. Methods: A case-control study was conducted involving 42 MS patients and 42 matched healthy controls. All participants underwent full clinical and audiological evaluation, including pure tone audiometry (PTA), tympanometry, ABR, and OAE. Results: Symmetrically prolonged absolute latencies of Wave III, Wave V, and interpeak latencies (IPLs) were observed in MS patients compared to controls, with no significant effects of sex or disease duration. ABR abnormalities were more frequent in MS than in controls, while no significant differences were found between study groups regarding transient evoked and distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAE). Conclusions: The central auditory pathway appears to be mainly affected in MS, evidenced by the prolonged absolute latencies and ILPs on ABR testing. Peripheral auditory pathway involvement is generally less common, though significant dysfunction at 8 kHz can indicate early cochlear involvement. These findings reflect the importance of comprehensive audiological evaluation in the diagnosis and monitoring of MS patients.

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