Patients with arthritis prone to suffering from hearing loss
The study, carried out by the University Hospital Clinic in Valencia, Spain, found that almost half of patients with rheumatoid arthritis suffer from hearing loss, as well.
Researchers studied 301 participants.194 subjects with a mean age of 40 years suffered from arthritis, and 107 subjects with an average age of 47 years became the control group.
Researchers evaluated their hearing with a tonal audiometry in 7 pitch frequencies.
They found that 43 percent of patients with arthritis also suffered from hearing loss, in comparison with a 16 percent of the healthy population. The hearing loss found in the study was mainly sensorineural.
More and younger women
The study also found that women were more affected than men. 71 percent of females with arthritis suffered from hearing loss, in comparison to 41 percent of women in the control group.
Hearing loss in patients with arthritis also occurred at a younger age. Subjects suffering from arthritis and hearing loss were 41 years old on average in comparison with an average age of people in the healthy population with hearing loss of 52 years.
Hearing test recommended
Other studies have shown the connection between rheumatoid arthritis and hearing loss. However, no hearing test is administered to this population unless individual patients mention that they have hearing problems.
This study underlined the risk of hearing loss among rheumatoid arthritis patients. The researchers recommend providing a hearing test to patients with arthritis as a preventive measure.
Source: "Deterioro auditivo en pacientes con artritis reumatoide", Acta de Otorrinolaring.
