Brainstem Auditory Evoked Potentials (BAEPs) Study in Chronic Arsenic Poisoning Patients
Soontorn Supapong MD, MSc* Jiruth Sriratanabun MD, MBA, PhD*
Affiliation : *Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
Objectives : To explore the possible neurotoxicity of arsenic to auditory sensory pathways and evaluate roles
of BAEPs in the detection of early brain damage resulting from arsenic exposure.
Design : Cross-sectional analytic study.
Materials and Methods : Twenty nine females with skin lesions consistent with arsenical dermatoses and 27
controls who met the inclusion criteria were investigatetd by Auditory Evoked Potentials (AEPs). Case
findings resulted from a house-to-house survey in village 12, Ronphibun subdistrict and village 5, Saothong
subdistrict, Nakhon Si Thammarat Province, southern Thailand in 1995.
Results : Differences between the arsenic-exposed population and the referent group regarding BAEP para-
meters, BAEP latencies and interpeak latencies were not found.
Conclusion : Evidence of the abnormalities of the auditory sensory pathways was not found among female
patients with arsenical dermtoses in Ronphibun. The role of BAEPs in the detection of brain damage resulting
from arsenic exposure could not be demonstrated.
Keywords : Arsenic, Arsenical dermatoses, Brainstem evoked potentials, BAEPs, Auditory evoked potentials, AEPs, CNS
