{"id":2157,"date":"2021-01-28T19:43:39","date_gmt":"2021-01-29T00:43:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.entofga.com\/?p=2157"},"modified":"2021-01-28T19:43:42","modified_gmt":"2021-01-29T00:43:42","slug":"smokers-have-a-greater-risk-of-hearing-loss","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.entofga.com\/smokers-have-a-greater-risk-of-hearing-loss\/","title":{"rendered":"Smokers Have a Greater Risk of Hearing Loss"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

You\u2019ve probably heard some of the myriads of conditions linked to smoking cigarettes, including cancer, heart disease, stroke, lung disease, diabetes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). But did you know that smoking can also lead to hearing loss<\/a>? A study published in The American Journal of Medicine <\/em>sought to uncover just how strong this link is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About the Study<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"A<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The study<\/a>, entitled \u201cCigarette Smoking, Smoking Cessation and Risk of Hearing Loss in Women,\u201d was conducted by researchers at Johns Hopkins University and Harvard Medical School.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Data was extrapolated from 81,505 women involved in the American Nurse\u2019s Health Study II (1991-2013), 2,760 of whom had hearing loss. Of the total number, 66.5% of participants had never smoked, 22.4% were past smokers, and 11.1% were current smokers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Researchers found that women who still smoked had an overall greater risk of moderate to severe hearing loss, especially those who had greater pack years. (Pack years <\/em>refers to the amount an individual has smoked over time, which is calculated by multiplying the number of packs of cigarettes smoked per day [20\/pack] by the number of years that amount was smoked.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This was also true for past smokers. The risk was lower for those who had quit smoking longest ago. The difference in risk level was most significant within the first 10-14 years of quitting. Those who had quit longest ago had similar risk-levels to those who never smoked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Benefits of Quitting<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The American Cancer Society<\/a> reports that\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n