The Connection Between Noise-Induced Hearing Loss and Mortality

1 of 8 kids

We're relentless in our fight against Noise-Induced Hearing Loss. But, unfortunately, as we've mentioned repeatedly, 1 of 8 kids has some degree of Noise-Induced Hearing Loss. In other words, that's one too many kids if you ask us.

We've just caught up with the latest research from Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine at the National University of Singapore, which has found a link between hearing, vision loss, and mortality.

"..people who have hearing loss have 13%, and 28% increased risk of all-cause and cardiovascular death respectively. This is found from 26 observational studies that comprised over 1.2 million participants."

Stress, anxiety, and depression

Furthermore, an article on biospectrumasia.com says that hearing loss hasn't received the same attention as vision loss and other long-term chronic illnesses. That's because it's harder for people to detect the gradual and subtle decline in hearing.

Like we've said before, it creeps up on us without us noticing, and the damage can be irreversible! It's easy to realise that hearing loss increases the risk of death from things like traffic accidents and workplace injuries. However, the NUS Medicine team found that cardiovascular death occurred faster in people suffering from hearing loss.

One possible explanation for this is that hearing loss can cause increased stress, anxiety, and depression. This makes sense since these are known to worsen heart conditions. Another possible explanation by the NUS Medicine team is that;

"hearing loss may worsen physical frailty which then results in decreased body reserves, increasing vulnerability to external stressors that trigger cardiovascular death."

50% of parents

We know this is heavy stuff, but this research shows hearing loss's harmful effects. However, Noise-Induced Hearing Loss is something we can prevent if we take precautions. So, we believe it's more important than ever that you join us in the fight against Noise-Induced Hearing Loss and help us raise awareness on this serious issue.

According to an AHSA poll, only 50% of parents have spoken to their kids about safe listening habits. Unfortunately, that's not enough. So, please talk to your family about NIHL, ask them to speak to their friends and neighbors about it, etc. Hopefully, this will start a snowball effect, informing more people about the risk of listening to high volume levels.

We have the knowledge and the equipment to prevent Noise-Induced Hearing Loss. So let's make an effort to spread awareness, take care of our hearing, and, most importantly, make sure our kids practice safe listening.

Here are five easy steps to help prevent Noise-Induced Hearing Loss:

1. Raise awareness.
2. Lower the volume.
3. Use volume-safe headphones.
4. Limit the listening time.
5. Move away from loud noises.

Sources:

• Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine at the National University of Singapore (NUS Medicine)
• World Health Organization
• Journal of Paediatrics
• Biospectrum Asia
  
  

Author: Ester Hilmarsdóttir