Vitiligo in Children Linked to Higher Hearing Loss

TOPLINE:

Children with vitiligo showed higher risks for sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) and mixed hearing loss compared with matched peers in a study, but not with ocular conditions.

METHODOLOGY:

• The study analyzed data on pediatric patients with vitiligo from 89 healthcare organizations in the US through the TriNetX Research Network between 2016 and 2024.
• There were 21,833 pediatric patients with vitiligo (mean age, 9.6 years; 50.1% boys) and an equal number of matched children without vitiligo. Nearly 45% of participants in both groups were White, about 27% were Hispanic or Latino, about 14% were Black, and 6.6% were Asian.
• The primary outcomes were hearing loss and ocular disorders.

TAKEAWAY:

• Children with vitiligo showed significantly higher risks for SNHL (hazard ratio [HR], 1.86; 95% CI, 1.38-2.51) and mixed hearing loss (HR, 2.10; 95% CI, 1.29-3.44) compared with children without vitiligo. No significant difference was observed for conductive hearing loss between the two groups.
• SNHL risk increased with time after the first year of follow-up, with an HR of 2.03 (95% CI, 1.21-3.41) for 1-3 years, and 2.56 (95% CI, 1.55-4.22) for follow-up periods longer than 3 years. The risk for mixed hearing loss was elevated only in the first year (HR, 4.87; 95% CI, 1.65-14.4).
• Researchers found an elevated risk for retinal and choroidal disorders (HR, 1.56; 95% CI, 1.06-2.31), but this was not consistent in sensitivity analyses. There were no significant differences in the risks for vision impairment, dry eye, uveitis, or glaucoma between the two groups.

IN PRACTICE:

“Our observation of increased SNHL risk, particularly after the first year of follow-up, aligns with the theory that hearing loss develops progressively through cumulative cochlear damage, correlating with disease duration and extent,” the study authors wrote. “Further prospective studies are needed to illuminate the mechanisms underlying these associations and guide clinical practice,” they added.

SOURCE:

This study was led by Serena Yun-Chen Tsai, MD, MMSc, Department of Dermatology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, and was published online on June 11 in JAMA Dermatology.

LIMITATIONS:

This study was limited by its retrospective design; reliance on the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, Clinical Modification codes; and the absence of data regarding vitiligo severity, phenotypes, location, audiometry findings, and visual function measurements. Dermatologist diagnoses or referrals were not verified, and the rarity of some outcomes could have introduced bias.

DISCLOSURES:

This study’s funding source was not disclosed. One author reported receiving grants, personal fees, and consulting fees from multiple pharmaceutical companies, including Incyte, Barinthus Biotherapeutics, Alys Pharmaceuticals, and AbbVie; being a founder and owning stocks in Alys Pharmaceuticals and Incyte; and serving as chief innovation officer for Alys Pharmaceuticals. Another author reported serving on the advisory board for Sanofi and receiving a salary from a Weston Career Development Award from the Society for Pediatric Dermatology and the Pediatric Dermatology Research Alliance.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.