Association between ABO blood group status and cochlear/neural function: auditory brainstem response findings

Abstract

Background

ABO blood group status may be a risk factor for some diseases, including hearing loss. Individuals with blood group O show a higher prevalence of hearing loss after industrial noise exposure. Group O individuals with normal hearing show reduced amplitudes in otoacoustic emission recordings. Whether blood group status affects auditory brainstem responses (ABR), which reflect cochlear hair cell and auditory nerve bioelectric activity, is unclear.

Aims/objectives

To compare cochlear and peripheral neural function across ABO blood groups by recording cochlear microphonic (CM) and wave I ABR responses.

Material and methods

Sixty normal-hearing young adults, with 15 participants from each blood group, completed 70 dB nHL click stimulus ABR measures. CM amplitude, wave I amplitude and wave I latency data were obtained for both ears. One-way ANOVA tests compared results across the ABO groups.

Results

A statistically significant difference for wave I peak-to-peak amplitudes across the four groups was found. Post-hoc comparisons revealed group O had significantly reduced wave I amplitudes compared to group A participants. A consistent trend of reduced CM amplitudes and prolonged wave I latencies was shown in group O participants.

Conclusions and significance

Emerging evidence exists that ABO blood group status may influence auditory function.

Chinese abstract

背景：ABO血型可能是某些疾病（包括听力损失）的危险因素。O血型者在经历工业噪声后表现出较高的听力损失患病率。听力正常的O组个体表现出耳声发射记录中的幅度减小。尚不清楚血型状况是否影响听觉脑干反应（ABR）, 进而反映耳蜗毛细胞和听神经生物电活动。

目的：通过记录耳蜗微音（CM）和波I ABR反应, 比较ABO血型的耳蜗和周神经功能。

材料和方法：60名听力正常的年轻人（每个血型组有15名参与者）, 完成了70 dB nHL点击刺激ABR措施。 获得了两只耳朵的CM振幅、I波振幅和I波潜伏期数据。通过单向方差分析测试比较了ABO组的结果。

结果：四组中的I波峰峰幅度在统计学上有显著差异。事后比较显示, 与A组参与者相比, O组的I波幅度明显降低。 O组参与者显示CM振幅降低和延长的I波潜伏期这一趋势。

结论和意义：新证据表明ABO血型状况可能影响听觉功能。

Keywords:

• Auditory brainstem evoked response
• blood group
• cochlea
• cochlear microphonic
• hearing
• sensorineural

Acknowledgements

The authors thank Dr. June Hiu Ching Tung for technical advice during data collection, and Eugena E-Ching Kok, Zihao Sang, Kelly Ayane Shibuya and Sherly Jiyao Wang for their assistance with participant recruitment.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by a General Research Fund [17108218] from the Hong Kong SAR Research Grants Council.