For Women, Painkiller Use May Lead to Hearing Loss

The field of study surrounding hearing loss and its causes, preventative measures, and treatments is vast. One area of inquiry is over-the-counter (OTC) drugs and their possible link to disabling hearing loss. A cohort study based in the U.S. looked at how hearing loss in women could have been attributed to the long-term use of aspirin, paracetamol, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID), like ibuprofen.

Though researchers found that just over 1 in 20 cases of hearing loss in their study could have resulted from the use of painkillers, they say that it is impossible for this study to prove that the drugs are the cause of the problem. Previous studies have linked the aforementioned OTCs with hearing loss because of multiple effects it has on the body, including removing protection from the inner ear, reducing blood supply—which is vital to the function of the auditory system—and damaging the cilia of the inner ear that vibrate and register sound.

A link between hearing loss and paracetamol was found when women had taken the painkiller for six years or more. Women who used NSAIDs at least two times a week for a year or longer showed a higher risk of hearing loss than women who did not use them regularly. Aspirin, however, was not a factor in this study. Researchers believe that this may be because presently low-dose aspirin is very common.

As with any prescribed painkiller, it is important to only take OTC painkillers at the suggested dose when needed or as recommended by your health care professional. If you have a regular regimen of a certain painkiller, check with your doctor to see if other treatments are available to you.

Specifics about This Cohort Study

This study was conducted by researchers from the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, Vanderbilt University, and Brigham and Women’s Hospital and funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health. It was published in the peer-reviewed American Journal of Epidemiology on January 4, 2017.

When the Daily Mail, a U.K. news outlet, published an article about the study, it took what some called an alarmist approach. The article stated that women taking paracetamol and NSAIDs “risk going deaf” and that “painkillers are responsible for 1 in 20 women suffering from partial deafness.”

Yet, the study does not prove that painkillers cause hearing loss nor did it objectively measure the degree of hearing impairment. It only took into account self-reported rates of hearing loss.

The Daily Mail report also goes on to add that hearing loss has been connected to isolation, dementia, and memory loss, though none of these were measured in the study.

Data from a long-running population-based study of nurses in the U.S. was used in this cohort study that ran over the course of four decades. Studies like this can be useful ways of identifying patterns and connections between factors. However, the study cannot prove that one factor is the cause of another (for example, using painkillers causes hearing loss) if this was not the purpose of the study when it began 40 years ago.

Participants in the Study and Results

Of the participants in the ongoing Nurses’ Health Study, which began in 1976 and numbered 121,700 women, researchers took data from 55,850 participants aged 44-69. They were asked about their use of painkillers every two years. Then, in 2012, they were asked if they experienced hearing loss and, if so, when it began.

Researchers then balanced the results for age and other confounding factors and looked for links between the use of painkillers and hearing loss. Some factors included, but were not limited to: age, ethnicity, alcohol and tobacco use, and diabetes. They did not include women who had hearing problems before 1990 or women diagnosed with cancer, due the known ototoxicity of some cancer treatment drugs.

The findings of the study were that of the 55,850 women, 33 percent reported some level of hearing loss with regular use of ibuprofen and paracetamol. Regular use and the risk for hearing loss was measured as such:

• NSAID use for one to four years was linked to a 7 percent increased risk;
• NSAID use for five to six years was linked to an 8 percent increased risk; and
• NSAID use for over six years was linked to a 10 percent higher chance of hearing loss.

Seeking Treatment for Hearing Loss

People use OTC painkillers every day for a range of ailments. Though some people prefer ibuprofen to aspirin or paracetamol, the expected outcome is the same: relief from pain or discomfort.

It is important to follow dosage recommendations and talk to your doctor if you find yourself taking OTC painkillers on a regular basis; there may be an alternative treatment available to you. Considering the possible side effects of long-term use, like disabling hearing loss, you may want to ask your doctor or audiologist about the latest research. Should you need hearing aids, be sure to shop our selection of affordable devices. We carry devices with a number of advanced features, from Bluetooth hearing aids to rechargeable options.