Smoking Increases Risk of Hearing Loss

Smoking is associated with hearing loss in a dose-response manner, according to the results of a recent study.

In an effort to determine the association of smoking status, intensity, and cessation with hearing loss, researchers conducted a study involving 50,195 Japanese adults, aged 20 to 64 years who were free from hearing loss at baseline. Follow-up lasted a maximum of 8 years.
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Overall, 3532 participants developed high-frequency hearing loss, and 1575 developed low-frequency hearing loss. Hazard ratios for current smokers were 1.6 and 1.2 for high- and low-frequency hearing loss, respectively, and the risk of hearing loss increased with the number of cigarettes smoked per day. Hazard ratios for former smokers were 1.2 and 0.9 for high-and low-frequency hearing loss, respectively. A decline in hearing loss risk was observed following smoking cessation.

“Quitting smoking virtually eliminates the excess risk of hearing loss, even among quitters with short duration of cessation. These results suggest that smoking may be a causal factor for hearing loss, although further research would be required to confirm this. If so, this would emphasize the need for tobacco control to prevent or delay the development of hearing loss,” the researchers concluded.

—Michael Potts

Reference:

Hu H, Sasaki N, Ogasawara T, et al. Smoking, smoking cessation, and the risk of hearing loss: japan epidemiology collaboration on occupational health study [published online March 14, 2018]. Nicotine & Tobacco Research. https://doi.org/10.1093/ntr/nty026.