La pérdida súbita de la audición, ¿está asociada con un mayor riesgo de aterosclerosis? / 1 IS SUDDEN HEARING LOSS ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASED RISK OF ATHEROSCLEROSIS?

Objective: sudden sensorineural hearing-loss (SSNHL) patients constitute approximately 2­3% of referrals to ear, nose and throat (ENT) clinics. Several predisposing factors have been proposed for this condition; one of which is vascular disorders and perfusion compromise. In this research the atherosclerotic changes and their known risk factors are studied in SSNHL patients. Study Design: This was a case-control study. Methods: Thirty SSNHL patients and 30 controls were evaluated with regard to cardiovascular risks including history, heart examination, blood pressure, body mass index, waist circumference, electrocardiogram, blood sugar, triglycerides, cholesterol, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (HSCRP); also, carotid artery color Doppler study was undertaken to measure intima media thickness (IMT). Results: IMT and HSCRP showed an increased risk in the case group compared with the controls (P=0.005 and P=0.001). However, waist circumference, history of smoking, fasting blood sugar, lipid profile, and electrocardiogram revealed no significant difference between the two groups. Interestingly, blood pressure and body mass index were higher in the controls in this study. Conclusion: Sudden sensorineural hearing loss may be associated with subclinical atherosclerosis, suggesting cardiovascular check-up in selected cases if associated with other risk factors.

Association between angiotensin II type-1 receptor A1166C polymorphism and the presence of angiographically-defined coronary artery disease in an Iranian population

Background: There are reported associations between a polymorphism of the angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT1R/A1166C) gene and coronary artery disease (CAD), hypertension, and myocardial infarction in some populations. Objective: Investigate the association between A1166C polymorphism and CAD in an Iranian population. Methods: Four hundred and thirteen patients with suspected CAD were recruited. Based on coronary angiography, the patients were classified into CAD+ (n=315) and CAD- (n=98) groups defined as >50% and <50% stenosis of any major coronary artery, respectively. One hundred and thirty-five healthy subjects were also recruited as the control group. The AT1R polymorphism was assessed using a polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) based method. Results: A higher frequency of the AC and CC genotypes and lower frequency of the AA genotype was observed in both CAD+ and CAD- groups, compared with the control group (p <0.05). CAD+ and CAD- groups also had a higher frequency of the C allele than controls (p <0.01). There was no significant difference in genotype and allele frequencies between hypertensive and non-hypertensive patients (p > 0.05). In addition, the AT1R genotype frequencies did not differ significantly among different subgroups of CAD+ patients, based on the number of affected coronary vessels (p >0.05). Conclusion: The frequency AT1R/A1166C polymorphism was higher among patients with some degrees of coronary stenosis who are candidates of coronary angiography.