The Role of IL-6 in Inner Ear Impairment: Evidence from 146 Recovered Patients with Omicron Infected in Tianjin, China.
J Clin Med 2023;
12:jcm12031114. [PMID:
36769761 PMCID:
PMC9917594 DOI:
10.3390/jcm12031114]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2022] [Revised: 01/23/2023] [Accepted: 01/25/2023] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE
To explore the effect of inflammatory factors on inner ear impairment in a sample of Omicron-infected patients with a high rate of vaccination in China.
METHODS
One hundred and forty-six recovered Omicron-infected patients performed the distortion product otoacoustic emission (DPOAE) test and serum test for inflammatory factors; demographic data and vaccination statuses were collected from the questionnaire.
RESULTS
Out of 146 patients, the DPOAE pass rate was 81.5% (119/146). Inner ear impairment was significantly correlated with IL-6 titer. The odds ratio (aOR) was 1.24 (95% CI: 1.04-1.49) after adjusting for age, sex, and vaccine characteristics. Notably, this relationship only existed in the 18-60 years group. There were no significant protective effects of vaccination on inner ear function.
CONCLUSIONS
Inner ear impairment still exists in Omicron-infected patients, which was significantly correlated with IL-6 titer. This relationship was mainly observed in young and middle-aged people, possibly due to a stronger immune response in this age group. The protective effect of vaccination on the inner ear could not be proved.
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