Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis — a potentially debilitating disease that affects bone health and can cut across all ages but primarily affects those in their 50s and 60s — may nearly double the risk of sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSHL), according to researchers.

Science hasn’t yet concluded that osteoporosis actually causes SSHL, but studies have long indicated a connection between the two. More recently, researchers in Taiwan who published an investigation in 2015 found that:

• Those with osteoporosis had a 1.76-fold risk of experiencing sudden sensorineural hearing loss.
• Patients at seemingly greatest risk were adults 50 and older, women, and, possibly, those with hypertension and osteoporosis.

A causal relationship between the two conditions might not yet be conclusive, but there’s no doubt that taking good care of your bones and ears — for example, avoiding tobacco, exercising regularly, maintaining an appropriate weight, and eating healthfully — can help curb your risks.