Abstract

Background: The thyroid is essential to the human body; it regulates the metabolism of all the cells in body and assists in bodily development, and maturation of the nervous system.

Methods: Submitted a letter of determination and obtained approval for this research from the NSU institutional review board. Research articles that related to the auditory system and hypothyroid disorders were collected from PubMed, CINAHL, and Cochrane Central. A data extraction form and JBI checklists were utilized to determine eligibility. A PRISMA flowchart was created to show why articles were included or excluded.

Results: The studies included within the scoping review all revealed findings that correlated hypothyroid disorders and hearing loss to some degree. Patients with hypothyroidism reported cochleovestibular symptoms more frequently than healthy individuals with the top two complaints being tinnitus and hearing loss. The most common characteristics of hearing loss in hypothyroid patients are mild to moderate, sensorineural hearing loss, and bilateral.

Conclusions: Hypothyroid patients have a significantly greater chance of experiencing adverse effects on the auditory system than healthy individuals. Auditory related evaluations should be implemented in the care plan of patients diagnosed with hypothyroidism.