New Research Links Smoking to Hearing Damage




Premature hearing loss can be partially caused by cigarette smoking, say researchers of the Antwerp University (Belgium) who have recently conducted a new study to determine major risk factors for hearing damage. Although the results show that excessive noise, including that at a workplace and coming from electronic devices, such as TV and iPods, remains the biggest threat for our hearing, obesity and long-term smoking habits can also contribute to poor hearing.


The researchers studied data on smoking habits, BMI and hearing health of over 4,000 male and female volunteers aged 53 and older. The subjects were asked about their lifestyle preferences, including cigarette smoking, and about their working conditions, including the amount of noise they experienced at the workplace. Their weight and BMI were measured and the subjects were also given a hearing test to determine their audible capacity. The obtained data were then correlated and thoroughly analyzed.

Leading author of the study, Dr. Erik Fransen, has commented that both smokers and obese individuals experienced difficulties in perceiving high frequency sounds, which signalled their damaged hearing capacity. The more you smoke and the higher your body mass index is, the more damaged your hearing tends to be, said the scientist. It has also been noted that hearing can become progressively worse after regular, heavy smoking within a term of one year and more. However, the worst hearing was observed in those who were subject to noisy working conditions.

Unfortunately, hearing loss cannot be reversed, said Dr. Erik Fransen. Once your hearing has been damaged, it can only further deteriorate, since there is no physiological possibility for recovery.

The researchers explain that smoking-induced hearing damage can be caused by impaired blow flow to the inner ear tissues. A chronic lack of oxygen, combined with a reduced ability to remove toxic substances and free radicals from the cochlear, which is usually observed in smokers, can eventually lead to a damage of inner ear cells and a diminished hearing ability.

The results of the study were reported in a recent publication of the Association for Research into Otolaryngology. The research was co-sponsored by the Royal National Institute for the Deaf, a charity organization representing the Northern Irish with an impaired hearing capacity.

John Burke

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Posted on June 14, 2008 
Filed Under Smoking and Health, Stop Smoking, Stop Smoking News, Tobacco Research

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