Secondhand smoke associated with sensorineural hearing loss in adolescents

January 01, 0001

Secondhand smoke associated with sensorineural hearing loss in adolescents

These US authors investigated the hypothesis that second- hand smoke (SHS) exposure is associated with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) in adolescents. They designed a multistage, stratified geographic area design. First they collected representative data from the noninstitutionalized US population using cross-sectional data from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2005-2006). From that dataset they identified 1533 participants 12 to 19 years of age who underwent audiometric testing, had serum cotinine levels available, and were not actively smoking.

They found: "Secondhand smoke exposure, as assessed by serum cotinine levels, was associated with elevated pure-tone hearing thresholds at 2, 3, and 4 kHz, a higher rate of unilateral low-frequency SNHL (11.8% vs 7.5%), and a 1.83-fold increased risk of unilateral low-frequency SNHL in multivariate analyses. The prevalence of SNHL was directly related to level of SHS exposure as reflected by serum cotinine levels. In addition, nearly 82% of adolescents with SNHL did not recognize hearing difficulties."

The authors concluded: "Secondhand smoke is associated with elevated pure-tone thresholds and an increased prevalence of low-frequency SNHL that is directly related to level of exposure, and most affected individuals are unaware of the hearing loss. Thus, adolescents exposed to SHS may need to be closely monitored for early hearing loss with periodic audiologic testing."

Parents who smoke should be made aware that they might affect their children’s hearing over the long run.

For the full abstract, click here.

Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 137(7):655-662, July 2011 © 2011 to the American Medical Association
Secondhand Smoke and Sensorineural Hearing Loss in Adolescents. Anil K. Lalwani, Ying-Hua Liu, Michael Weitzman. Correspondence to Dr. Lalwani: [email protected]

Category: H. Ear. Keywords: second hand smoke, sensorineural hearing loss, adolescents, cross- sectional study, journal watch.
Synopsis edited by Dr Linda French, Toledo, Ohio. Posted on Global Family Doctor 2 August 2011

Pearls are an independent product of the Cochrane primary care group and are meant for educational use and not to guide clinical care.

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