Background: Serum biomarkers are used in the field of medicine since many years. One of the most important advantage of the biomarkers as its considered objective tests and it can be used as an indicator for many health conditions not only normal, pathological (diagnosis & prognosis) but also to show the effect of treatment.
In fact, there is special biomarkers (prestin & Otolin-1) playing an important role in the audio-vestibular functions of the inner ear. Many of the studies have reported that there is a relationship between the levels of these biomarkers and hearing disorders.
Aim of the Work: The aim of this study is to search the relationship between serum biomarkers such as serum Prestin and Otolin-1 levels and noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL).
Patients and Methods: This study was conducted among 100 NIHL patients; 66 males and 34 females, and 50 healthy subjects; 30 males and 20 females served as controls with normal hearing threshold. Pure tone audiometry (PTA) and assessment of serum level of both prestin and otolin -1 were done for all participants.
Results: Air and bone conduction threshold showed significant decrease in NIHL group than controls (P <0.05). Serum Prestin and Otolin-1 levels were significantly elevated in NIHL group than in controls (P <0.05). Both tests showed high accuracy levels (86% and 92%, respectively).
Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, serum prestin and otolin-1 could be used in early detection of hearing loss in individuals at high risk of noise exposure.