Original Research Article
Year: 2019 | Month: July | Volume: 9 | Issue: 7 | Pages: 234-241
Association of Skin Pigmentation and Risk of Hearing Loss: A Homogenous Race Study
Liya Varghese1, Abin Kottaramveettil2
1,2Assistant Professor, Dept. of Audiology and Speech Language Pathology, AWH special College, Calicut, Kerala -673003.
ABSTRACT
Melanocytes are melanin-producing neural crest-derived cells located in many parts of human body including cochlea. Melanin is a dark pigment primarily responsible for skin color. Many studies on hearing impaired individuals across race/ethnicity found dark skinned individuals have lower risk of hearing loss. The present study investigated the association of skin pigmentation and risk of cochlear hearing loss for normal hearing adults within same racial population. Relevant cross-sectional data from the students of AWH special college, 2018 to 2019, for 60 participants 18 to 21 years of age was examined. Very fair skin and dark brown skin tone were classified based on Fitzpatrick scale (Grade 1 and grade IV). All the participants were having normal hearing with PTA</= 15dB according to Goodman’s classification. We demonstrate for the first time that lower skin pigmentation is associated with poor OAE amplitudes for individuals of same race/ethnicity and thus indicate the increase risk of having hearing loss in future. These results add to the growing literature of reduced melanocytes/melanin pigmentation related health disturbances and also add to the urgency in instituting public health measures to reduce it.
Key words: Melanocytes, Melanin, cochlear hearing loss, Otoacoustic emission (OAE).