Prevalence of hearing loss in patients with chronic renal failure and effect of Haemodialysis on hearing in Kenyatta National Hospital

Abstract

Background: Patients suffering from chronic renal failure have been found to have a higher incidence of sensorineural hearing loss as compared to the general population. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence and patterns of hearing loss in patients with chronic renal failure, at Kenyatta National Hospital, which has the largest public renal dialysis department in Kenya. Broad Objective To determine the prevalence and pattern of sensorineural hearing loss in patients with chronic renal failure. Study design Nested Case Control Study Methodology A cohort of patients with chronic renal failure was used for the purpose of this study from KNH renal unit and clinic, between November 2011 and February 2012. Two PTA's were performed on each patient four weeks apart which is the time it takes to do seven sessions of haemodialysis. Creatinine levels and duration of chronic renal failure was recorded. Data Collection and Analysis Data was collected by the principle researcher and entered in a preformatted data collection sheet. Data was entered and cleaned in Microsoft Excel software and then exported to SPSS version 17.0 for analysis. Results Seventy eight patients were used in this study and overall 55.1% of the chronic renal failure patients were found to have hearing loss. Mild SNHL accounted for 51.2% of those with hearing loss with a significant number of them having high frequency HL. We found a correlation between creatinine levels and pure tone audiometry findings. Patients with longer duration of illness were found to have higher degree of hearing loss. Conclusion Chronic renal failure causes SNHL with the duration of illness worsening the hearing loss. High creatinine levels were found to affect hearing in the conservative group of patients not undergoing HD but not in the patients on HD treatment.