Heart Health Affects Hearing

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Published on 14 February 2013

There is a connection between a person’s hearing and their cardiovascular health, according to the Better Hearing Institute (BHI) which is urging people with cardiovascular disease to get their hearing checked.
The inner ear is extremely sensitive to blood flow. Studies have shown that a healthy cardiovascular system—a person’s heart, arteries, and veins—has a positive effect on hearing. Conversely, inadequate blood flow and trauma to the blood vessels of the inner ear can contribute to hearing loss.
The negative influence of impaired cardiovascular health on both the peripheral and central auditory system—and the potentially positive influence of improved cardiovascular health on these same systems—have been found through a sizable body of research that has been conducted over more than six decades, according to a study published in the American Journal of Audiology.
David R. Friedland, MD, PhD, Professor and Vice-Chair of Otolaryngology and Communication Sciences at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, has been studying the relationship between cardiovascular and hearing health for years. “The inner ear is so sensitive to blood flow that it is possible that any abnormalities in the cardiovascular system could be noted here earlier than in other less sensitive parts of the body,” says Friedland.

Source: Better Hearing Institute RS.