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Introduction Rhinosporidiosis is a granulomatous disease of humans and animals that is caused by Rhinosporidium Seeberi. This disease is endemic in certain states of India, like Chhattisgarh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Orissa, and eastern Madhya Pradesh. We conducted a retrospective, record-based study in the department of ENT & Head and Neck Surgery of a tertiary case institute in Chhattisgarh. Objective To study the epidemiology of rhinosporidiosis, especially host risk factors. Methods We conducted a retrospective, record-based study in the department of ENT & Head and Neck Surgery of a tertiary case institute in Chhattisgarh, India. A total of 55 histologically proven rhinosporidiosis patients who were surgically treated in the department over a period of 2 years from November 2014 to November 2016 were included. Results This study involved 55 histologically proven rhinosporidiosis cases. There were 87% males and 12% females. Most of the cases belonged to lower socioeconomic status (92.73%). All the cases had history of pond bathing. Of 55 cases, 27 cases (49.09%) had O+ blood group followed by A+ in 10 (18.18%), B+ in 9 (16.36) and AB+ in 9 (16.36%). Conclusion The results of the study showed that the disease was associated with the male gender, young and middle age, low socioeconomic status, rural background, pond bathing and O+ blood group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction There are some discrepancies in the literature about the influence of vitiligo on auditory functions. According to some authors, vitiligo influences hearing, whereas others question such influence. Therefore, we conducted a study to evaluate audiological functions in vitiligo patients. Objectives To determine the effect of vitiligo on auditory functions. Methods A hospital-based observational study was done from January 2017 to July 2017. Clinically diagnosed cases of vitiligo were enrolled for the study. A complete otological examination was conducted in all patients. Results Fifty-two patients (male: female 28:24) were included in the study. Ten patients (19.2%) had sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL). Seven patients (13.5%) had bilateral and 3 (5.7%) had unilateral SNHL. High frequency loss was seen in 17 out of 20 ears (10 affected patients), 6 ears had both low and high-frequency hearing loss. Of 12 ears with speech frequency involvement, mild hearing loss was seen in 5 and moderate to severe in 1 ear. Most cases of SNHL were detected in the age group 41 to 60 years old (63.6%), which was statistically significant (p-value 0.00). Conclusion The results of this study suggest that vitiligo patients require routine monitoring for auditory functions for early identification of SNHL. Older subjects with vitiligo might be at a higher risk for audiological abnormalities. These patients should also be informed regarding the associated risk with noise and ototoxic drug exposure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]