Abstract
Musculocontractural Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) caused by pathogenic variants in CHST14 (mcEDS-CHST14) is a subtype of EDS characterized by multisystem malformations and progressive fragility-related manifestations. A recent international collaborative study showed that 55% of mcEDS-CHST14 patients had hearing loss (HL), more commonly of the high-frequency type. Here, we report the first systemic investigation of the otological features of patients with this disorder based on the world's largest cohort at Shinshu University Hospital. Nine patients [18 ears; four male and five female patients; mean age, 18 years old (range, 10-28)] underwent comprehensive otological evaluation: audiogram, distortion product otoacoustic emission (DPOAE) test, and tympanometry. The audiogram, available in all 18 ears, showed HL in eight patients (8/9, 89%) and in 14 ears (14/18, 78%): bilateral in six patients (6/9, 67%) and unilateral in two (2/9, 22%); mild in eight ears (8/18, 44%) and moderate in six (6/18, 33%); and high-frequency HL in five (5/18, 28%) and low-frequency HL in five (5/18, 28%). An air-bone gap was detected in one ear (1/18, 6%). DPOAE was available in 13 ears, with the presence of a response in five (5/13, 38%) and the absence in eight (8/13, 62%), including in three ears of normal hearing. Tympanometry results were available in 12 ears: Ad type in nine (9/12, 75%) and As type in one (1/12, 8.3%). Patients with mcEDS-CHST14 had a high prevalence of HL, typically sensorineural and bilateral, with mild to moderate severity, of high-frequency or low-frequency type, and sometimes with no DPOAE response. The pathophysiology underlying HL might be complex, presumably related to alterations of the tectorial membrane and/or the basilar membrane of Corti associated with disorganized collagen fibril networks. Regular and careful check-ups of hearing using multiple modalities are recommended for mcEDS-CHST14 patients.