Hearing loss among patients with multiple sclerosis (PwMS): A systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a kind of autoimmune disorder that has swept more than 2 million people worldwide and has caused multiple disabilities in the patients. Hearing loss(HL) is also one of the disabilities that numerous patients with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) experience. Methods: We searched four databases: PubMed (Medline), Scopus, Web of Science, and Embase, from 1970 to July 2021. The gray literature containing the conference abstracts, review studies, and references of the articles was also investigated. We included any studies that reported PwMS with HL. Results: Out of 1875 articles, 1042 articles remained following eliminating duplicates. Afterward, all articles were screened, and 953 were eliminated based on exclusion criteria. Full texts of 89 articles were collected. Finally, eight articles were selected based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. The pooled prevalence of HL in PwMS was 1.1 (95 CI: 0.2%, 2.4%; I-2=80.11%; p<0.001) among 5187 MS population. Conclusion: Our analysis suggests that MS might increase the risk of HL , and it might be an indicator for MS diagnosis. More research with larger sample sizes is required.