Hearing loss affects nearly 1.6 billion people and is the third-leading cause of disability worldwide. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is also a common condition that is associated with adverse clinical outcomes and high health-care costs. From a developmental perspective, the structures responsible for hearing have a common morphogenetic origin with the kidney, and genetic abnormalities that cause familial forms of hearing loss can also lead to kidney disease. On a cellular level, normal kidney and cochlea function both depend on cilial activities at the apical surface, and kidney tubular cells and sensory epithelial cells of the inner ear use similar transport mechanisms to modify luminal fluid. The two organs also share the same collagen IV basement membrane network. Thus, strong developmental and physiological links exist between hearing and kidney function. These theoretical considerations are supported by epidemiological data demonstrating that CKD is associated with a graded and independent excess risk of sensorineural hearing loss. In addition to developmental and physiological links between kidney and cochlear function, hearing loss in patients with CKD may be driven by specific medications or treatments, including haemodialysis. The associations between these two common conditions are not commonly appreciated, yet have important implications for research and clinical practice.

听力损失影响着近 16 亿人，是全球第三大残疾原因。慢性肾脏病 (CKD) 也是一种常见疾病，与不良临床结果和高昂的医疗费用相关。从发育的角度来看，负责听力的结构与肾脏具有共同的形态发生起源，导致家族性听力损失的遗传异常也可能导致肾脏疾病。在细胞水平上，正常的肾脏和耳蜗功能都依赖于顶端表面的纤毛活动，肾小管细胞和内耳的感觉上皮细胞使用类似的运输机制来改变管腔液体。这两个器官还共享相同的 IV 型胶原基底膜网络。因此，听力和肾功能之间存在密切的发育和生理联系。这些理论考虑得到了流行病学数据的支持，表明 CKD 与感音神经性听力损失的分级且独立的超额风险相关。除了肾脏和耳蜗功能之间的发育和生理联系外，慢性肾病患者的听力损失可能是由特定药物或治疗（包括血液透析）引起的。这两种常见病症之间的关联并未得到普遍认识，但对研究和临床实践具有重要意义。