A recent study has uncovered a link between having metabolic syndrome and sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL). We review what these two conditions are and what the study has to say below.
What Is Metabolic Syndrome?
The term metabolic syndrome describes the presence of a cluster of risk factors for cardiovascular disease. If you’re diagnosed with metabolic syndrome, it means you’re at greater risk of developing heart disease, stroke, and/or diabetes.
The risk factors include:
- Abdominal obesity
- High blood pressure
- Impaired fasting blood glucose
- High triglyceride levels
- Low HDL (good) cholesterol
You can be diagnosed if you have three or more of these factors.
What Is Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss?
SSNHL, sometimes referred to as sudden deafness, is an unexplainable, rapid loss of hearing. This can take place all instantaneously or over a few days. Sometimes a popping sound is heard before the hearing goes away. It can happen during daily activities, like shopping for food at the Farmers’ Market Oceanside on Ocean Drive, or you can wake up with it. Usually, only one ear is affected.
A problem with the sensory organs of the inner ear causes this condition. Because of this, sometimes other symptoms such as dizziness or tinnitus (ringing in the ears) are present.
Approximately half of people who experience SSNHL recover their hearing within a week or two. Treatment greatly increases the chance of recovery.
SSNHL is a medical emergency. If you experience it, see a doctor immediately.
The Link Between Metabolic Disease and Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss
The study, entitled “Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss and Metabolic Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis,” was published in the journal Otology and Neurotology in 2021.
The study participants included 11,890 people, 3,034 of whom had experienced SSNHL. The data showed that those with metabolic syndrome had a significantly higher risk of SSNHL; the risk of metabolic syndrome among SSNHL patients had a pooled odds ratio of 1.88.
Researchers also found that SSNHL patients with metabolic syndrome had much higher chances of poorer recovery; the odds ratio was 2.77.
For more information or to schedule an appointment with a hearing expert, call Aaron's Hearing Aid & Audiology Center today.