Idiopathic sensorineural hearing loss is associated with endothelial dysfunction

Hearing impairment is the most prevalent sensory deficit [1]. Sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) is the most common type of permanent hearing loss and it occurswhen there is damage to the inner ear (cochlea), or to the nerve pathways fromthe inner ear to the brain.Most of the time, SNHL cannot be medically or surgically corrected. SNHL can result from genetic, environmental, or combined etiologies that prevent normal function of hearing, but, despite detailed investigation, the main cause remains usually unknown. Clinical and experimental studies have shown that ischemia contributes to several SNHL [2], suchas sudden sensoneural hearing loss, presbyacusis and noise-induced hearing loss. All of these SNHL can be related to alteration in blood flow [3]. The aim of the study is finding a relationship between idiopathic SNHL and endothelial dysfunction.