Smoking has been blamed for a variety of health issues over recent years—heart disease, stroke, COPD and various cancers. Added to the list is now hearing loss!
A recent Japanese study has shown that hearing impairment is more prevalent in people who smoke. The study involved almost 50,000 Japanese workers between the ages of 20 and 64 who started the study with no hearing loss. A follow-up after eight years revealed more than 10% of the workers had developed hearing loss, and of that 10%, the smokers of the group were 60% more likely to have a hearing loss than the non-smokers.
It was also found that the percentage rose with the number of cigarettes smoked. When more than 20 a day were smoked, the rate of hearing loss rose to 70%!
“The more one smokes, the higher the risk of hearing loss,” said lead study author Huanhuan Hu of the Department of Epidemiology and Prevention at the National Center for Global Health and Medicine in Tokyo.
LAC News
