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Unveiling the impact of dengue fever on hearing health: a case control study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 December 2025

Kapil Soni Open the ORCID record for Kapil Soni [Opens in a new window] ,
Yash Agrawal Open the ORCID record for Yash Agrawal [Opens in a new window] ,
Swathi Krishna M ,
Gopal Bohra ,
Amit Goyal Open the ORCID record for Amit Goyal [Opens in a new window]  and
Vidhu Sharma
Kapil Soni*
Affiliation:
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Jodhpur, India
Yash Agrawal
Affiliation:
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Jodhpur, India
Swathi Krishna M
Affiliation:
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Jodhpur, India
Gopal Bohra
Affiliation:
Department of General Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Jodhpur, India
Amit Goyal
Affiliation:
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Jodhpur, India
Vidhu Sharma
Affiliation:
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Jodhpur, India
*
Corresponding author: Kapil Soni; Email: ksoni805@gmail.com
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Abstract

Background

Dengue fever, a mosquito-borne viral illness, has varied systemic manifestations, but its auditory effects remain underexplored. The objective of this study was to assess the association between dengue infection and hearing loss.

Methods

A prospective case-control study was conducted on 79 patients—40 dengue-positive (NS1 antigen confirmed) and 39 with other febrile illnesses. All participants underwent otological examination and pure tone audiometry.

Results

Hearing loss was observed in 15.2 per cent of dengue patients, with none in controls (p < 0.001). The odds ratio for hearing loss in dengue was 34.6 (95 per cent confidence interval: 1.97–610). Dengue patients exhibited significantly elevated air and bone conduction thresholds (p < 0.001). Lower platelet counts and higher C-reactive protein levels correlated with hearing loss, suggesting vascular and inflammatory mechanisms.

Conclusion

Dengue fever may be associated with reversible sensorineural hearing loss, likely due to microvascular and inflammatory injury to the cochlea. Early audiological screening is recommended in dengue cases.

Keywords

denguehearing lossplatelet countcochlea

Information

Type
Main Article
Information
The Journal of Laryngology & Otology , First View , pp. 1 - 4
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of J.L.O. (1984) LIMITED.

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Footnotes

Kapil Soni takes responsibility for the integrity of the content of the paper

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