Cent Eur J Public Health 2024, 32(4):251-255 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a8218

Influence of smoking on human hearing – literature review

Karol Myszel1, Piotr Henryk Skarżyński2, 3, 4
1 Centre of Hearing and Speech, Kajetany, Nadarzyn, Poland
2 Department of Tele-audiology and Screening, World Hearing Centre, Institute of Physiology and Pathology of Hearing, Warsaw, Poland
3 Institute of Sensory Organs, Kajetany, Nadarzyn, Poland
4 Heart Failure and Cardiac Rehabilitation Department, Faculty of Dental Medicine, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland

Objectives: Smoking is a strong addiction, that affects a huge number of people worldwide, including the young ones. Due to composition of cigarette smoke, which contains nicotine and other chemical substances, lots of harmful effects on human health were described. Apart from the influence on other organs smoking is associated with hearing loss.

Methods: The literature review was conducted using PubMed and the combination of the following words: smoking, hearing impairment and hearing loss.

Results: The total number of 585 articles published in the recent 10 years were analysed. The review results show a strong association of hearing loss with smoking, both active and passive. As the main reason for hearing loss, a damage to outer hair cells was identified. Hearing loss in such cases is basically sensorineural and usually affects high frequencies. It was also observed that the risk of hearing loss increases with time of smoking. Smoking cessation reduces the risk of hearing loss associated with smoking. This article is a review of the literature that summarizes the results of studies aiming to analyse the influence of smoking on human hearing.

Conclusions: As smoking causes serious health problems, public health policies in societies should promote primary prevention as well as smoking cessation (secondary prevention) to diminish the total burden of healthcare systems.

Keywords: smoking, hearing impairment, hearing loss, cochlear dysfunction, otoacoustic emissions

Received: March 13, 2024; Revised: September 29, 2024; Accepted: September 29, 2024; Published: December 30, 2024  Show citation

ACS AIP APA ASA Harvard Chicago Chicago Notes IEEE ISO690 MLA NLM Turabian Vancouver
Myszel K, Skarżyński PH. Influence of smoking on human hearing – literature review. Cent Eur J Public Health. 2024;32(4):251-255. doi: 10.21101/cejph.a8218. PubMed PMID: 39903595.
Share...
Download citation
  • BibTeX (.bib)
  • Bookends (.ris)
  • EasyBib (.ris)
  • EndNote (.enw)
  • EndNote 8 (.xml)
  • ISI WoS (.isi)
  • Medlars (.medlars)
  • Mendeley (.ris)
  • MODS (.xml)
  • Papers (.ris)
  • RefWorks (.txt)
  • RefManager (.ris)
  • RIS (.ris)
  • MS Word (.xml)
  • Zotero (.ris)
    • Open full article

    References

    1. Dai X, Gakidou E, Lopez AD. Evolution of the global smoking epidemic over the past half century: strengthening the evidence base for policy action. Tob Control. 2022;31(2):129-37. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    2. Reitsma MB, Flor LS, Mullany EC, Gupta V, Hay SI, Gakidou E. Spatial, temporal, and demographic patterns in prevalence of smoking tobacco use and initiation among young people in 204 countries and territories, 1990-2019. Lancet Public Health. 2021;6(7):e472-81. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    3. Britton J. Death, disease, and tobacco. Lancet. 2017 May 13;389(10082):1861-2. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    4. Mallah MA, Soomro T, Ali M, Noreen S, Khatoon N, Kafle A, et al. Cigarette smoking and air pollution exposure and their effects on cardiovascular diseases. Front Public Health. 2023;11:967047. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.967047. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    5. Golbidi S, Edvinsson L, Laher I. Smoking and endothelial dysfunction. Curr Vasc Pharmacol. 2020;18(1):1-11. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    6. Thomson NC. The Role of smoking in asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease overlap. Immunol Allergy Clin North Am. 2022;42(3):615-30. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    7. Kulhánová I, Forman D, Vignat J, Espina C, Brenner H, Storm HH, et al. Tobacco-related cancers in Europe: the scale of the epidemic in 2018. Eur J Cancer. 2020;139:27-36. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    8. Margham J, McAdam K, Cunningham A, Porter A, Fiebelkorn S, Mariner D, et al. The chemical complexity of e-cigarette aerosols compared with the smoke from a tobacco burning cigarette. Front Chem. 2021;30;9:743060. doi: 10.3389/fchem.2021.743060. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    9. Abdel-Hafez AM, Elgayar SA, Husain OA, Thabet HS. Effect of nicotine on the structure of cochlea of guinea pigs. Anat Cell Biol. 2014;47(3):162-70. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    10. Zhao Y, Liang Y, Pan C, Tang X, Sun Y, Xu C, et al. Nicotine induced ototoxicity in rat cochlear organotypic cultures. Transl Neurosci. 2021;Oct 26;12(1):407-14. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    11. Durante AS, Nascimento CMD, Lopes C. Otoacoustic emissions in neonates exposed to smoke during pregnancy. Braz J Otorhinolaryngol. 2021 Mar-Apr;87(2):193-9. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    12. Jedrzejczak WW, Koziel M, Kochanek K, Skarzynski H. Otoacoustic emissions in smoking and nonsmoking young adults. Clin Exp Otorhinolaryngol. 2015;8(4):303-11. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    13. Durante AS, Pucci B, Gudayol N, Massa B, Gameiro M, Lopes C. Tobacco smoke exposure during childhood: effect on cochlear physiology. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2013;10(11):5257-65. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    14. Prabhu P, Varma G, Dutta KK, Kumar P, Goyal S. Influence of smoking on ultra-high-frequency auditory sensitivity. J Int Adv Otol. 2017;13(1):110-2. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    15. Lisowska G, Jochem J, Gierlotka A, Misiołek M, Ścierski W. Sex-related cochlear impairment in cigarette smokers. Med Sci Monit. 2017 Jan 22;23:377-97. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    16. Rogha M, Hashemi M, Askari N, Abtahi SH, Sepehrnejad M, Nilforoush MH. Cigarette smoking effect on human cochlea responses. Adv Biomed Res. 2015;4:148. doi: 10.4103/2277-9175.161575. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    17. Schwarz Y, Kaufman GN, Daniel SJ. Newborn hearing screening failure and maternal factors during pregnancy. Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol. 2017;103:65-70. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    18. Weitzman M, Govil N, Liu YH, Lalwani AK. Maternal prenatal smoking and hearing loss among adolescents. JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2013;139(7):669-77.
    19. Talaat HS, Metwaly MA, Khafagy AH, Abdelraouf HR. Dose passive smoking induce sensorineural hearing loss in children? Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol. 2014;78(1):46-9. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    20. Wilunda C, Yoshida S, Tanaka S, Kanazawa Y, Kimura T, Kawakami K. Exposure to tobacco smoke prenatally and during infancy and risk of hearing impairment among children in Japan: a retrospective cohort study. Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol. 2018;32(5):430-8. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    21. Sumit AF, Das A, Sharmin Z, Ahsan N, Ohgami N, Kato M, et al. Cigarette smoking causes hearing impairment among Bangladeshi population. PLoS One. 2015;10(3):e0118960. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0118960. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    22. Kumar A, Gulati R, Singhal S, Hasan A, Khan A. The Effect of smoking on the hearing status - a hospital based study. J Clin Diagn Res. 2013;7(2):210-4. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    23. Wang D, Zhu Y, Li C, Wang Y, Wang S, Wu S, et al. Relationship between cigarette smoking and hearing loss in China: a cross-sectional study in Zhejiang province. Tob Induc Dis. 2021 May 26;19:40. doi:10.18332/tid/135440. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    24. Demir E, Celiker M, Afacan NN, Aydogan E, Balaban GA, Erdivanli OC, et al. Effects of smoking on the auditory system: is there a gender difference? Ear Nose Throat J. 2021;100(3):NP147-51. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    25. Syed AH, Hina F, Chandnani A, Kumar V, Kumar J, Garg I, et al. Effect of cigarette smoking on hearing levels in young and middle-aged males. Cureus. 2021;13(5):e15093. doi: 10.7759/cureus.15093. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    26. Lin BM, Wang M, Stankovic KM, Eavey R, McKenna MJ, Curhan GC, et al. Cigarette smoking, smoking cessation and risk of hearing loss in women. Am J Med. 2020;133(10):1180-6. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    27. Istrate M, Hasbei-Popa M, Iliescu DA, Ghita AC, Ghita AM. Effects of cigarette smoking on sensorineural hearing impairment and age related macular degeneration. Tob Prev Cessat. 2021;7:55. doi: 10.18332/tpc/138952. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    28. Chang J, Ryou N, Jun HJ, Hwang SY, Song JJ, Chae SW. Effect of cigarette smoking and passive smoking on hearing impairment: data from a population-based study. PLoS One. 2016 Jan 12;11(1):e0146608. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0146608. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    29. Hu H, Sasaki N, Ogasawara T, Nagahama S, Akter S, Kuwahara K, et al. Smoking, smoking cessation, and the risk of hearing loss: Japan epidemiology collaboration on occupational health study. Nicotine Tob Res. 2019 Mar 30;21(4):481-8. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    30. Pezzoli M, Lofaro D, Oliva A, Orione M, Cupi D, Albera A, et al. Effects of smoking on eustachian tube and hearing. Int Tinnitus J. 2017 Dec 1;21(2):98-103. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    31. Dawes P, Cruickshanks KJ, Moore DR, Edmondson-Jones M, McCormack A, Fortnum H, et al. Cigarette smoking, passive smoking, alcohol consumption, and hearing loss. J Assoc Res Otolaryngol. 2014;15(4):663-74. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    32. Panigrahi R, Maheshwari A. Prevalence of hearing loss in adolescent smokers. J Evol Med Dent Sci. 2015 Jun 15;4(48):8298-303.
    33. Ramkissoon I, Batavia M. Effects of secondhand smoke exposure on hearing and auditory evoked potentials, ABR and AMLR in young adults. J Am Acad Audiol. 2018;29(8):685-95. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    34. Mehrparvar AH, Mollasadeghi A, Hashemi SH, Sakhvidi MJ, Mostaghaci M, Davari MH. Simultaneous effects of noise exposure and smoking on OAEs. Noise Health. 2015;17(77):233-6. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    35. Li X, Rong X, Wang Z, Lin A. Association between smoking and noise-induced hearing loss: a meta-analysis of observational studies. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020;17(4):1201. doi: 10.3390/ijerph17041201. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    36. Sung JH, Sim CS, Lee CR, Yoo CI, Lee H, Kim Y, et al. Relationship of cigarette smoking and hearing loss in workers exposed to occupational noise. Ann Occup Environ Med. 2013 Jul 3;25(1):8. doi: 10.1186/2052-4374-25-8. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    37. Cruickshanks KJ, Nondahl DM, Dalton DS, Fischer ME, Klein BE, Klein R, et al. Smoking, central adiposity, and poor glycemic control increase risk of hearing impairment. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2015;63(5):918-24. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    38. Lohi V, Hannula S, Ohtonen P, Sorri M, Mäki-Torkko E. Hearing impairment among adults: the impact of cardiovascular diseases and cardiovascular risk factors. Int J Audiol. 2015;54(4):265-73. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...

    Return to the content