{"id":3854,"date":"2022-04-05T18:08:00","date_gmt":"2022-04-05T22:08:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/advancedent.com\/?p=3854"},"modified":"2022-04-05T18:08:03","modified_gmt":"2022-04-05T22:08:03","slug":"the-link-between-smoking-hearing-loss","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/advancedent.com\/the-link-between-smoking-hearing-loss\/","title":{"rendered":"The Link Between Smoking & Hearing Loss"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If you smoke cigarettes, you put more than just your heart and lungs at risk \u2013 it could cost you your hearing, too. In fact, exposure to secondhand smoke can also cause hearing problems. Below we review the research on the link between smoking and hearing loss<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What the Research Shows<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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A recent study<\/a> published in JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery<\/em> in January 2022 examined patterns of hearing loss over 30 years among three groups: people who had never or formerly smoked, those who quit smoking during the study period and smokers who continued to smoke throughout the study. Those who never stopped smoking scored worse on hearing tests compared to the other groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is corroborated by older studies. One from researchers at the University of Wisconsin<\/a>, Madison found that current smokers are 1.69 times more likely to have hearing loss compared to nonsmokers. These researchers also found that nonsmokers who lived with smokers were more likely to have hearing loss<\/a> compared to nonsmokers who were not exposed to a household member who smoked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Young people exposed to secondhand smoke are especially at risk. According to one study<\/a> published in Archives of Otolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery<\/em> in 2014, teens exposed to cigarette smoke are two to three times more likely to develop hearing loss compared to those with no exposure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Smoking Affects Hearing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Cigarettes contain both nicotine and carbon monoxide. These substances lower oxygen blood levels and constrict blood vessels throughout your body, including in your inner ears. In addition, nicotine and cigarette smoke can:<\/p>\n\n\n\n