Evaluating plasma oxidative stress markers in prelingual profound sensorineural hearing loss

The etiopathogenesis of sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) is an essential contributing factor to its morbidity, which cannot be explained entirely so far. The current study aimed to determine the oxidative stress (OS) status by comparing the total antioxidant status (TAS), total oxidant status (TOS) and oxidative stress index (OSI) values in patients with pediatric prelingual profound SNHL. We also evaluated the correlation between OS parameters and audiological test results. The study included 25 participants (9 females; age range: 6‒34 months) diagnosed with pediatric prelingual profound SNHL and 25 healthy subjects (10 females; age range: 9‒28 months). Their TAS, TOS, and OSI levels were measured in the plasma of both groups. We evaluated the correlation between OS parameters and audiological test results in the patient group. We found significantly higher serum TOS levels and OSI values in the patient group (mean ± SD of TOS: 16.08 ± 1.88 μmol H2O2 eq/L, p < 0.001; mean ± SD of OSI: 1.71 ± 0.48 arbitrary units, p < 0.001), compared to the controls. Moreover, we found lower serum TAS levels in the patient group (mean ± SD of TAS: 0.99 ± 0.20 mmol Trolox eq/L), compared to the controls. There was a strong correlation between OS parameters and audiological test results of the patient group. We detected significantly higher TOS, OSI, and lower TAS levels in pediatric patients with SNHL, compared to the healthy subjects. The obtained data indicated that pediatric SNHL is under OS influence.