Description:
<jats:sec><jats:title /><jats:p>Subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) results in substantial under-recognized clinical sequelae in survivors, including cognitive deficits and psychological issues. In addition, there is emerging evidence that up to 25% of SAH survivors experience hearing impairment after SAH. In a previous small study of 41 patients, we phenotyped this hearing impairment, and found it to be consistent with an acquired auditory processing disorder. Here we use UK Biobank data to conduct a retrospective case-control study of hearing impairment after SAH (n=245 SAH and 160 523 control individuals). Hearing was assessed with the digit triplet test (DTT), a speech-in-noise test. The effect of age, gender, time since SAH, socioeconomic status, noise exposure and ethnicity on the DTT scores in SAH and control groups was controlled for. The results show that there is a statistically significant difference in DTT scores of SAH survivors versus controls. The findings confirm that individuals with a past history of SAH are at greater risk of hearing difficulty. Screening for auditory deficits, which may affect quality of life, is recommended after SAH. monicaashokumar@gmail.com</jats:p></jats:sec>