Psoriatic arthritis can lead to loss of hearing and balance

Inner ear damage has been associated with forms of arthritis and autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, systemic sclerosis and ankylosing spondylitis, and now psoriatic arthritis can be added to the list, experts outline in the Journal of Rheumatology.
A total of 60 people with psoriatic arthritis were compared with 60 healthy people of similar ages and sex; 63% were men and the average age was 53 years old. People were not included who had a history of ear infections, heart disease, kidney problems and a range of other conditions that could have interfered with the results.
All participants had an ear, nose and throat examination and a series of hearing, balance and inner ear tests.
Results showed that 60% of people with psoriatic arthritis had hearing loss, compared with only 8.3% of the healthy group. And 23.3% of people with psoriatic arthritis had impaired balance, compared to none of the healthy group.
The presence of chronic inflammation is thought to be to blame for the hearing and balance issues experienced by people with psoriatic arthritis.
“Our current study demonstrates strong evidence for inner ear damage in patients with psoriatic arthritis,” explains Miguel A. González-Gay who is involved in the research. “Psoriatic arthritis encompasses a number of complications, not only those directly related to joint manifestations,”. “Patients should look for active and early therapy to minimize complications.”

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