Could hearing loss signal a greater risk of heart failure?👂♥️

Report by Duncan Williams for News Advertiser newspapers

A new study has revealed a significant connection between hearing impairment and heart failure, urging people not to overlook what may seem like a benign or commonplace issue.

Researchers in China have analysed data from more than 164,000 participants in the UK Biobank study, discovering that individuals with hearing difficulties face a notably higher risk of developing heart failure. Importantly, psychological distress linked to poor hearing emerged as a key contributor to this increased risk.

The team examined results from digit triplet tests (DTT), a hearing screening tool that evaluates a person's ability to detect spoken numbers against background noise. Participants were grouped by their performance in the test.

At the start of the study, none of the individuals had been diagnosed with heart failure. However, over an 11-year follow-up period, 4,449 developed the condition.

Heart failure, which affects over one million people in the UK, occurs when the heart becomes too weak to pump blood efficiently, leading to symptoms such as fatigue, breathlessness, and swelling in the lower limbs.

The research highlighted that those with a higher speech reception threshold (SRT) - indicating a need for louder speech to discern words - had a greater likelihood of developing heart failure. Among individuals not using hearing aids, high SRT levels were also linked to increased levels of psychological distress, social isolation, and neuroticism.

“Compared with those with normal hearing, participants with insufficient hearing, poor hearing, or hearing aid use had higher heart failure risks,” the researchers said.

This is the first study to demonstrate a direct link between hearing loss and the onset of heart failure in the general population. The findings suggest that psychological stress, resulting from or exacerbated by hearing difficulties, may be a crucial factor in cardiovascular decline.

The researchers stress the importance of integrating hearing assessments into broader cardiovascular health evaluations. They also suggest that mental health support for people with hearing impairment could be a valuable intervention to help mitigate heart-related risks.

( Photo images courtesy of Gerd Altmann / BHF 📸 )