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A new study suggests a common part of ageing could be an early warning sign of heart problems
Scientists have revealed what your hearing could say about your heart failure risk.
Heart failure, when the heart is unable to pump blood around the body properly, affects more than 60 million people across the globe, and is often eventually fatal, the NHS warns.
Typical causes of heart failure include coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, and sometimes obesity – but new research suggests hearing loss could be another risk factor.
A new study, conducted by researchers in China, found that poor hearing increases a person’s risk of heart failure, and that the psychological stress caused by hearing loss could play a “notable” role.
The research looked at data from the UK Biobank of nearly 165,000 people, around 160,000 of whom did not wear hearing aids. Over a follow up period of more than 11 years, nearly 5,000 people had developed heart failure.
The NHS says hearing problems are a common part of ageing, noting that gradual hearing loss in both years is typically caused by ageing or damage from loud noise over many years.
In the study, hearing loss was measured by a high speech reception threshold (SRT), meaning they needed louder speech to understand words. Researchers found that those with a higher SRT were at a higher risk of heart failure.
The authors said: “Compared with those with normal hearing, participants with insufficient hearing, poor hearing, or hearing aid use had higher heart failure risks.”
High SRT levels were also linked to psychological distress and social isolation in those who did not wear hearing aids, which the researchers say play a “significant” role in heart failure risk.
The researchers added: “We have been the first to demonstrate that poor hearing ability is significantly associated with a higher risk of incident heart failure in the general population.
“Psychological factors, especially psychological distress, play a significant mediating role in this association.”
Studies have shown that psychological stress and isolation fuels inflammation and damages blood vessels, potentially putting the heart under extra stress.
The study noted that hearing loss may be a potential early warning sign for heart failure, suggesting that it could indicate problems with blood flow, including heart problems.
However, it is important to note that this was an observational study. It can’t prove that hearing loss causes heart failure, but it did find that the two are somehow linked.
The authors added: “If further confirmed, hearing impairment may be a potential risk factor or marker for incident heart failure in the general population, highlighting the importance of integrating hearing health assessments into broader cardiovascular risk evaluation frameworks.
“Moreover, strengthening psychological intervention in people with hearing impairment may be an important path and strategy to reduce the risk of heart failure.”
The study was published in the journal Heart.
Published: 2025-04-09 11:05:59 | Author: [email protected] (Bethan Finighan) | Source: MEN – News
Link: www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk
Tags: #surprising #symptom #linked #higher #risk #heart #failure
