A prospective cohort study of sensorineural hearing loss associated with Kawasaki disease

Abstract

Aim: About 60 cases of sensorineural hearing loss (HL) have been reported in patients with Kawasaki disease (KD), but the current estimate of its prevalence is uncertain. The present study aimed to determine the prevalence and risk factors of sensorineural HL associated with KD.

Methods: The present, prospective cohort study, conducted from May 2019 to May 2020, evaluated patients with a diagnosis of KD who received the initial therapy and underwent two auditory brainstem response (ABR) tests. HL was defined as a threshold of 40 dB or more, and borderline hearing was defined as a threshold of 30 dB.

Results: In total, 107 patients were enrolled, and 75 underwent two ABR tests. Thirty-one patients (30.0%) received prednisolone with their initial intravenous immune globulin and acetylsalicylic acid therapy. HL was present in only one patient who had congenital conductive HL. Five patients had borderline hearing but had normal hearing behavior. There was no significant difference between the patients with normal hearing and those with borderline hearing in terms of the clinical variables.

Conclusions: In Japan, the prevalence of sensorineural HL after KD is not high. It may therefore be unnecessary to perform routine hearing tests for all patients with KD.

Name of trial register: Association between Kawasaki Disease and Sensorineural Hearing Loss.

Clinical trial registration number: UMIN000037019 (the date of registration: June 11, 2019).

Keywords: Acetylsalicylic acid; Hearing loss; Kawasaki disease; Steroid.