Study finds hypertension may have implications for hearing health

SNHL was identified in 64.2% of participants who had been hypertensive for five years or longer. Image: AchillesReel/stock.adobe.com. Hearing screening could have a greater role in the care of people with hypertension, after a Tanzanian study found almost one in four hypertensive adults had sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL)....

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Evidence is preliminary and comes from a single African clinical population, so routine hearing screening for all hypertensive patients is not yet supported by strong evidence; however, audiologists should be aware of hypertension as a potential risk factor when taking case histories.

If confirmed in larger, controlled studies, the association between long-term hypertension and SNHL could justify integrating hearing screening into standard cardiovascular care pathways, expanding the audiologist's role in chronic disease management.

1. 0164.2% of hypertensive patients with ≥5 years of hypertension were found to have sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL).
2. 02The study was conducted in Tanzania, limiting direct generalisability to other populations.
3. 03Duration of hypertension (5+ years) was a key variable associated with hearing loss prevalence.
4. 04Authors recommend hearing screening be incorporated into hypertensive care protocols.
5. 05Study design and sample details are not fully described in the summary, warranting caution in interpretation.

Publication type

research_article

Evidence level

4

Population

Hypertensive patients with 5 or more years of hypertension, recruited in Tanzania

Intervention

Hearing assessment in hypertensive patients