Apr 11, 2025 07:19 PM
https://www.sciencefocus.com/news/what-y...art-health
EXCERPTS: More than 60 million people globally suffer from heart failure – a condition where the heart is unable to pump blood around the body properly, usually because the heart has become weak or stiff. Coronary heart disease, high blood pressure and obesity are among its typical causes. But how about hearing?
According to a new study published in the journal Heart, hearing loss is indeed linked to a heightened risk of heart failure. Heart failure doesn’t mean that your heart packs up and stops working altogether. Instead, it means the heart needs extra support to do its job. The condition is a long-term one which, while generally incurable, can be mitigated with treatment.
[...] People with insufficient and poor hearing had a 15 and 28 per cent higher risk of heart failure, respectively, compared to those with normal hearing.
Higher SRT scores – indicating worse hearing – were also linked to a greater risk of heart failure. Interestingly, this association was stronger in individuals who didn’t have heart disease or stroke at the start of the study.
[...] But what could be causing this increased risk? Many of us lose hearing ability as we age, and without things like hearing aids, this can lead to increasing levels of social isolation, psychological distress and neuroticism – all of which were also found to increase the risk of someone developing heart failure in the study.
According to the study’s authors, this isolating effect may ramp up the body’s stress response, fuel inflammation and damage blood vessels – all of which can put extra pressure on the heart and raise the risk of heart problems.
There could be a more biological link, too. [...] because the inner ear relies on lots of tiny blood vessels and uses a lot of energy, it might be especially sensitive to problems with blood flow – which means hearing loss could act as an early warning sign of heart trouble, including heart failure... (MORE - missing details)
EXCERPTS: More than 60 million people globally suffer from heart failure – a condition where the heart is unable to pump blood around the body properly, usually because the heart has become weak or stiff. Coronary heart disease, high blood pressure and obesity are among its typical causes. But how about hearing?
According to a new study published in the journal Heart, hearing loss is indeed linked to a heightened risk of heart failure. Heart failure doesn’t mean that your heart packs up and stops working altogether. Instead, it means the heart needs extra support to do its job. The condition is a long-term one which, while generally incurable, can be mitigated with treatment.
[...] People with insufficient and poor hearing had a 15 and 28 per cent higher risk of heart failure, respectively, compared to those with normal hearing.
Higher SRT scores – indicating worse hearing – were also linked to a greater risk of heart failure. Interestingly, this association was stronger in individuals who didn’t have heart disease or stroke at the start of the study.
[...] But what could be causing this increased risk? Many of us lose hearing ability as we age, and without things like hearing aids, this can lead to increasing levels of social isolation, psychological distress and neuroticism – all of which were also found to increase the risk of someone developing heart failure in the study.
According to the study’s authors, this isolating effect may ramp up the body’s stress response, fuel inflammation and damage blood vessels – all of which can put extra pressure on the heart and raise the risk of heart problems.
There could be a more biological link, too. [...] because the inner ear relies on lots of tiny blood vessels and uses a lot of energy, it might be especially sensitive to problems with blood flow – which means hearing loss could act as an early warning sign of heart trouble, including heart failure... (MORE - missing details)