2008
Hearing loss link to stroke risk
Sudden hearing loss could be a warning sign of increased stroke risk, Taiwanese research suggests.
People hospitalised for sudden hearing loss had more strokes in the following five years than otherwise healthy appendicitis patients.
The article, in the journal Stroke, suggested no reason why the hearing problem could be linked to strokes.
UK stroke specialist Dr Tony Rudd, of Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital, described it as “an unusual” finding.
There are dozens of reasons, including some illnesses, such as mumps, measles, and meningitis, why someone might suffer sudden hearing loss.
The suggestion of the research, which looked at 1,423 patients taken to hospital after losing their hearing, is that it could be a sign that the person has a far higher chance of stroke even some years afterwards.
The hearing loss patients were compared with 5,692 patients taken into hospital for appendix removal - chosen because among hospitalised patients, they best represent the healthy population outside.
The researchers found that after hearing loss, they were one-and-a-half times more likely to have a stroke in the five subsequent years.