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DOI: 10.1055/s-0040-1713924
Plasma Serotonin is Elevated in Adult Patients with Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss
Funding This work was funded by the Agence Nationale pour la Recherche (grant: ANR-16-CE16-0021-03) to J.M.L. and J.C.![](https://www.thieme-connect.de/media/10.1055-s-00035024/202009/lookinside/thumbnails/10-1055-s-0040-1713924_200124-1.jpg)
Abstract
Background The roles of thrombophilia and cardiovascular risk factors in sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) remain controversial. Cochlear microthrombosis and vasospasm have been hypothesized as possible pathogenic mechanisms of SSNHL. This article investigates the circulating serotonin and homocysteine levels besides thrombophilia screening in patients with idiopathic SSNHL.
Methods A total of 133 SSNHL patients and age- and sex-matched controls were investigated (discovery cohort). Measurement included common inherited natural coagulation inhibitors, factor VIII, von Willebrand factor (VWF), antiphospholipid antibodies, homocysteine, and serotonin (whole blood, platelet, and plasma) levels, along with frequent relevant genetic variants. A validation cohort (128 SSNHL patients) was studied for homocysteine and serotonin levels.
Results and Conclusion In the discovery cohort, 58.6% of patients exhibited thrombophilia, of which most had a low to moderate titers of antiphospholipid antibodies and high levels of factor VIII/VWF. Twenty-seven patients (20%) had mild-to-moderate hyperhomocysteinemia or were homozygous for the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T mutation. Regarding serotonin, SSNHL patients had elevated whole blood levels that remained within the normal range and normal platelet content. However, approximately 90% patients of both cohorts had elevated plasma serotonin. Elevated plasma serotoninemia was accompanied by serotonylation of platelet rhoA protein. This study shows that increased plasma serotonin appears as a biomarker of SSNHL (specificity: ∼96%, sensitivity: ∼90%) and could participate in the pathophysiology of SSNHL.
Authors' Contributions
L.D. and J.M.L. conceived and designed the study. C.H., H.V., M.E., R.K., and L.D. studied the patients. J.C., N.V., A.S., V.S., and J.M.L. performed laboratory measurements. N.V., L.D., A.S., V.S., and J.M.L. analyzed the data. N.V., R.K., L.D., and J.M.L. wrote the paper, and all authors approved the final version of the manuscript.
Publication History
Received: 09 March 2020
Accepted: 28 May 2020
Article published online:
27 July 2020
© 2020. Thieme. All rights reserved.
Georg Thieme Verlag KG
Stuttgart · New York
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