Traumatic brain injury (TBI) can result in peripheral or central injury, causing hearing loss.

To identify possible hearing and balance disorders in adult patients with a history of TBI.

Observational cross-sectional study conducted in a public hospital. The sample consisted of 34 individuals aged 18 to 60 years old who had suffered mild to severe TBI more than 6 months before. They underwent an otoscopy and a medical history survey, recording their clinical history, as well as their previous and current hearing and balance complaints. Next, their hearing was screened at 1,000, 2,000, and 4,000 Hz, and their balance was assessed using the Classic and Sharpened Romberg tests, as well as the Timed Up and Go test.

The present study assessed 34 patients, of whom 35.3% failed the right ear and 38.2% failed the left ear in the hearing screening, highlighting a statistically significant difference between the pre- and post-trauma results. Regarding balance, 3.1% had a positive result on the right and 3.1% positive on the left in the Classic Romberg test. The Sharpened test found a higher result of 9.4 positive on the left and front. The Timed Up and Go test results were normal for 75.0% and abnormal for 25% of the participants, revealing a risk of falling.

The present study demonstrated that adults after TBI may have hearing and balance complaints and changes, highlighting the importance of referral to an otorhinolaryngologist and subsequent clinical diagnosis in this population.

MCMP: project development, sample selection, analysis of results, and writing – original draft; AKLB: writing, development, manuscript organization, and article review; RCFLF: statistical analysis of data and tabulation of results; ICS: sample selection and supervision; DG: supervisor, supervision of data collection and analysis, manuscript editing, and final review of the article.

*The present research has been presented as a poster in the 2024 ASHA Convention.

Data will be available upon request to the corresponding author.

Editor-in-Chief: Geraldo Pereira Jotz.

Received: 18 June 2025

Accepted: 16 September 2025

Article published online:
25 March 2026

© 2026. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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Bibliographical Record
Maria Clara Martins Pace, Ana Karina Lima Buriti, Raquel Caroline Ferreira Lopes Fontanelli, Italo Capraro Suriano, Daniela Gil. Hearing and Balance in Adult Patients with a History of Traumatic Brain Injury*. Int Arch Otorhinolaryngol 2026; 30: s00461817135.
DOI: 10.1055/s-0046-1817135