No Smoking Day was earlier in the week, Wednesday 9 March, but every day is a good day to give up smoking.
Studies have shown that smokers and passive smokers are more likely to suffer hearing loss. And children, growing up in a household where adults smoke, are at an increased risk of getting glue ear – a condition where the middle ear becomes filled with fluid causing some hearing loss in one or both ears.
A 2014 study, by The University of Manchester, concluded that smokers have a higher chance of having hearing loss than non-smokers. Even passive exposure to tobacco smoke can be bad for your hearing. Those who were exposed to tobacco smoke for more than 10 hours per week were found to also have a 40% higher risk of hearing loss than people with no exposure to tobacco smoke.
The link between smoking and hearing loss is unclear, but Dr Piers Dawes, a lead researcher on the study, said that the most likely reason that smoking and hearing loss are related is that smoking causes cardiovascular disease.
“Cardiovascular disease means that the blood supply to the ears is reduced. Sensory cells in the ear then start to die because of a reduced blood supply. Another possibility is that there are toxins in tobacco smoke that have a direct toxic effect on the ear, perhaps in addition to the cardiovascular impact on hearing.”
“The link is real and reliable,” continued Dr Dawes. “But the good news is that ex-smokers were at no extra risk of hearing loss. Quitting smoking is likely to be hugely beneficial in protecting against hearing loss.”
Around 10 million people in the UK are affected by hearing loss – that’s 1 in 6. And 3.7 million of those affected are of working age. Hearing loss isn’t just an inevitable consequence of getting older. Giving up smoking and protecting your ears from loud noise are 2 steps you can take to prevent hearing loss later in life.
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