Hormone Replacement Therapy Alters Auditory Brain- stem Responses in Postmenopausal Women
M. Sator*, P. Franz*, E. Joura*, H. Zeisler*, A. Nessmann*, C. Kurz*, J.C. Huber*
Affiliation : * Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Division of Endocrinology and Sterility Treatment, Vienna University Hospital, Wahringer Giirtel 18-20, A-1 090 Vienna. Austria.
The peak wave V latency of the auditory brainstem response (ABR) has been observed to vary through the course of the menstrual cycle. Two ovarian steroids, estradiol and progesterone, have been proposed to be responsible for the changes in ABR latency that occur in regularly menstruating women. The purpose of this study was to evaluate ABR latency in postmenopausal women receiving either hormone replacement therapy (tibolone 2.5 mg, Livia!®; n = 10). All patients included were postmenopausal as documented by the absence of menstrual bleeding for more than 1 year (FSH >30 mU/ml; estradiol < 30 pg/ml). Auditory brainstem responses were measured at baseline and after three months of treatment. When ABR latency data of the tiholone- treated women were compared to those of the control group. we found that both wave V peak latencies and wave I-V interpeak intervals decreased during tibolone treatment. These data support the hypothesis that neural conduction time in the auditory pathway is modi ficd by changes in the circulating levels of steroid hormones.
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