Association between Cigarette Smoking and Hearing Loss

Background: Smoking is a common negative behavior despite of its adverse effects.Understanding the predictors of health conditions following active smoking leads to determineidentify effective solutions. Although smoking as a lifestyle factor, have been associated withacquired hearing loss, limited studies explored this association. So, the aim of this study is areview of the association between cigarette smoking and hearing loss.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 reported that current smokers were more likely to have a hearing loss than nonsmokersparticularly when it is along with other risk factors including age, industrial noiseexposure, caucasian ethnicity, low education, high cholesterol and diabetes. It is demonstrated thatmechanisms including vasoconstriction, hypoxia and nicotinetoxicity affect hearing as a result ofsmoking. Also, damage to the outer hair cells of the cochlea, increased oxidative stress due togeneration of reactive oxygen species, and elevated systemic inflammatory markers are othersuggested mechanisms. Studies showed that this association is due to toxins found in cigarettesmoking including toluene, benzene, and carbon monoxide affecting hearing organs. On the otherhand, some common health conditions such a stroke and cancers resulting from smoking, areassociated with hearing loss where a communication problem becomes evident.Conclusion: It is necessary to train smokers due to hearing loss prevention following reductionand quitting habit of smoking. In addition, smokers should refer to hearing assessment clinics tomonitor their hearing status regularly and perform early intervention once hearing loss detected.

کلیدواژه ها:

Cigarette Smoking ، Hearing Loss ، Active Smoking.