{'fraction_non_alphanumeric': 0.03341103341103341, 'fraction_numerical': 0.022533022533022532, 'mean_word_length': 5.046948356807512, 'pattern_counts': {'":': 0, '<': 0, '<?xml version=': 0, '>': 0, 'https://': 0, 'lorem ipsum': 0, 'www.': 0, 'xml': 0}, 'pii_count': 0, 'substrings_counts': 0, 'word_list_counts': {'cursed_substrings.json': 0, 'profanity_word_list.json': 0, 'sexual_word_list.json': 0, 'zh_pornsignals.json': 0}}
Pilot Study of Audiometric Patterns in Fuchs Corneal Dystrophy.

Purpose
Although Fuchs corneal dystrophy (FCD) is considered an eye disease, a small number of studies have identified genes related to both FCD and hearing loss. Whether FCD is related to hearing loss is unknown.


Method
This is a case-control study comparing pure-tone audiometry hearing thresholds in 180 patients with FCD from a hospital-based ophthalmology clinic with 2,575 population-based controls from a nationally representative survey, the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (from cycles 2005-06 and 2009-10). Generalized estimating equations were used to compare mean better-hearing ear thresholds in the 2 groups adjusted for age, sex, race, and noise exposure.


Results
Patients with FCD had higher hearing thresholds (worse hearing) in lower frequencies (mean difference at 0.5 kHz = 3.49 dB HL) and lower hearing thresholds (better hearing) in higher frequencies (difference at 4 kHz = -4.25 dB HL) compared with population-based controls.


Conclusion
In the first study to use objectively measured hearing, FCD was associated with poorer low-frequency and better high-frequency audiometric thresholds than population controls. Further studies are needed to characterize this relationship.