Publication details
Prevalence of Fabry disease in men with tinnitus and sensorineural hearing loss
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2021 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | Journal of Applied Biomedicine |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Web | http://jab.zsf.jcu.cz/pdfs/jab/2021/01/06.pdf |
| Doi | http://dx.doi.org/10.32725/jab.2021.003 |
| Keywords | Alpha-galactosidase; Fabry disease; Screening; Sensorineural hearing loss; Tinnitus |
| Description | Fabry disease (FD) is a lysosomal storage disorder caused by pathogenic mutations in the alpha-galactosidase A (AGALA) encoding gene region. This rare disease affects several organs induding the cochlea-vestibular system. Tinnitus and sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) are reported among otoneurological symptoms. Early and correct diagnosis of FD is important with a view to available therapy. The aim of the study was to screen for alpha-galactosidase deficiency in men with tinnitus/SNHL. A prospective multicentric study induding consecutive patients with SNHL confirmed by tone audiometry or tinnitus evaluated (10/2016-8/2019). The diagnosis of AGALA deficiency was done by dry blood spot method using a threshold of 1.2 mu mol/l/h. Only men aged 18-60 were induded. 181 patients were subject to evaluation. SNHL was reported in 126 (70%) patients, 50 (28%) patients had unilateral, 76 (42%) patients had bilateral SNHL. Tinnitus was found in 161 (89%) patients, unilateral in 96 (53%) and bilateral in 65 (36%) patients. Suspected FD was not detected in any patient; alpha-galactosidase The AGALA values ranged 1.5-8.8 mu mol/l/h, an average of 3.4 mu mol/l/h. None of the 181 patients participating in the study had AGALA levels below the threshold 1.2 mu mol/l/h. The occurrence of tinnitus and sensorineural hearing loss in men appears to be an irrelevant clinical sign for FD systematic screening. |