Autoimmune diseases and otological and neurotological manifestations

The most common autoimmune, inflammatory and multiorgan diseases are Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), systemic erythematosus lupus (SEL), Sjögren Syndrom, scleroderma and granulomatous polyangiitis (GPA).We aim to systematically review the literature in order to estimate the association of these autoimmune diseases and hearing loss or vestibular symptoms.This systematic review was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis protocols (PRISMA) guidelines for reporting. (PRISMA supplementary appendix)We searched the MEDLINE database for primary research papers published in English until 13/12/2020. The search was performed by three independent investigators (MEDLINE,Cochrane and Scopus), using keywords in relation to rheumatological diseases.The results showed an increased frequency of conductive and sensorineural hearing loss for the patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis, which was symmetrical and bilateral. Moreover these patients had an increased rigidity of their tympanoossicular system. The patients suffering from SEL appear more frequently sensorineural hearing loss in contrast to healthy individuals and appear two to nineteen time more frequently tinnitus than the healthy individuals. The patients with Scleroderma have statistically significant sensorineural hearing loss as well as patients with Sjögren syndrome. The GPA patients suffer from chronic otitis media 9-78% more frequently than healthy individuals of their age and gender.There is an increased prevalence of ontological signs and symptoms among these patients. It is undoubtedly that there must be conducted a lot of research in this medical field, so as to confirm the correlation of these diseases and the above mentioned ontological and neurotological symptoms

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