Otolaryngology Home Page

Current Clinical Research

 

Hearing

RO1 NIH Grant, Characterization of Hearing Status in the Jackson Heart Study Cohort.

Principal Investigator: John Schweinfurth, M.D.

Hearing loss is the most common chronic illness in the United States affecting an estimated 28 million of Americans.  The prevalence of hearing loss increases with age, up to 1 person out of 3 over the age of 65.  There is growing evidence that atherosclerosis may be the primary cause of hearing loss. 

The contribution of hypertension (HTN) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) to sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) is unknown.  The blood supply of the inner ear, or cochlea, is known to be sensitive to ischemia.   A 2002 study demonstrated that participants with a history of CVD were on average 54% more likely to have impaired cochlear function than adults without CVD. Data also demonstrated that participants with a history of heart attack were 80% more likely to have impaired cochlear function than those who had not had a heart attack. 

This study will examine the relationship between cardiovascular disease and hearing loss in the Jackson Heart Study cohort.  The Jackson Heart Study (JHS) is a single-site prospective epidemiologic investigation of cardiovascular disease among African-American men and women between the ages of 35 and 84 from the Jackson, Mississippi metropolitan area.  The information collected in this study includes both conventional and emerging risk factors for cardiovascular disease.  This study will be the first population-based examination of hearing loss in African Americans. Using the data on cardiovascular disease gathered by the JHS, we hope to better understand hearing loss and its relationship to stroke and CVD.

 

Swallowing

Assessment of Swallowing Outcomes Following Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation

Therapy in Stroke Victims                                        

Dennis W. Jahnigen Career Development Scholars Award     

Principal Investigator: John Schweinfurth, M.D.

                                   

Pediatrics

Safety and Efficacy of Topical Moxidex Otic Solution in the Treatment of Acute Otitis Media with  Otorrhea through Tympanostomy Tubes (AOMT)

Principal Investigator:  John M. Reed, M.D.

Nucleus Freedom Cochlear Implant System Pediatric Post-approval Study

Principal Investigator:  Jeffrey Carron, M.D.