Passive Smoking induced Hearing Loss in Children

Background: Toxic effects following active smoking regarded as a main public health problemare well understood. However; adverse effects of passive smoking are less understood. So, it isimportant to focus on health effects of passive smoking and making more general recognition. Oneof these are developing hearing loss in children which needs necessary concerns. So the aim of thisstudy is a review of passive smoking induced hearing loss in infants.Methods: Related articles were found by a comprehensive search of the literature from ۲۰۰۰,using PubMed/MEDLINE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, ISI Web of Science, Cochrane Library,EMBASE, and Scopus databases and the most relevant studies were selected.Results: Studies showed that among non-smokers, those who reported passive exposure to tobaccosmoke were more likely to have a hearing loss, associated with a dose-response effect, comparedwith control group. On the other hand, passive smoker children were more sensitive to conductivehearing loss and otitis media due to repeated attacks of eustachian tube dysfunction and middle eareffusion as a result of the exposure. Also, it is demonstrated that nicotine has direct ototoxic effecton the hearing receptors and induces vasospasm and arteriosclerosis in the cochlear blood vesselslead to sensory neural hearing loss. Results showed that the outcomes of passive smoking inducedhearing loss in infants include attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, poor academic achievement,and cognitive impairment.Conclusion: Passive smoking develops sensory neural and/or conductive hearing loss in children.This may lead to both irreversible hearing loss and negative cognitive and behavioralconsequences. Quitting or reducing smoking and avoiding passive exposure to tobacco smoke isnecessary to help prevent or moderate hearing loss.

کلیدواژه ها:

Passive Smoking ، Hearing Loss ، Children.