Assessment of the ear and otoacoustic emission findings in fibromyalgia syndrome

M. Yilmaz¹, E. Baysal¹, B. Gunduz², A. Aksu³, N. Ensari¹, J. Meray³, Y.A. Bayazit¹

¹Department of Otolaryngology, ²Department of Audiology, and ³Department of Physical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Gazi University, Besevler, Ankara, Turkey.

ABSTRACT
Objective
We aimed to assess otoacoustic emission (OAE) findings in fibromyalgia (FM) syndrome.

Methods
Thirty-two ears of 16 female patients with FM syndrome and 30 ears of 15 healthy female controls were also included in the study. Pure tone audiometry, speech discrimination testing, tympanometry and otoacoustic emission testing (both transiently evoked and distortion product) were performed.

Results
There was no significant difference between the pure tone hearing results of the patients and controls (p > 0.05). There was no significant difference between the distortion-product-otoacoustic emission results of the patients and controls. Audiologic findings of the patients with and without otologic symptoms were not significantly different than controls (p > 0.05).

Conclusion
Although FM patients generally have subjective symptoms related to ear, clinical or laboratory assessments usually fail to find out any objective finding related to these subjective symptoms. The otologic functions seem spared in FM syndrome.

Key words
Fibromyalgia syndrome, audiometry, otoacoustic emissions.

Please address correspondence to: Doc. Dr. Yildirum A. Bayazit, Mithapasa Cad. Emek Apt. 51/12, 06640 Kizilay, Ankara, Turkey.
E-mail: bayazity@yahoo.com

Clin Exp Rheumatol 2005; 23: 701-703.
© CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL RHEUMATOLOGY 2005.