Are patients with alopecia areata at increased risk of hearing loss?

Are patients with alopecia areata more likely to have hearing loss?

I’ve selected this question below for this week’s question of the week. It allows us to review some concepts related to hearing loss in patients with alopecia areata.

Question

I am a 52 year old female with alopecia totalis. After many years of wondering, I have been formally diagnosed with hearing loss. It is troubling to me an I may need a hearing aid. I now have trouble hearing colleagues at work and in social settings. Is there any relationship between having alopecia areata and having hearing loss? Will I get this hearing back if I treat my alopecia totalis?

Answer

Thanks for the question. There does seem to be a relationship between alopecia areata and hearing loss. A brand new study found a three fold increased risk of what’s known as sensorineural hearing loss in patients with alopecia areata compared to controls.

Now, I don’t know enough about your story to connect it with alopecia areata. Certainly, hearing loss increases with age and so it’s not uncommon as we age. You and your doctors can review all your risk factors including current and past medications, past infections, past injuries.

It does not seem that getting hearing back is all that common in patients with alopecia areata who treat their alopecia areata. The two phenomenon do not have the same mechanism and the same course.

REFERENCE

Kuang-Hsu Lien, TzoTzong-Yun Ger, Ching-Chi Chi. Association of alopecia areata with sensorineural hearing loss: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Dermatology. 2023 Apr 24.