Iron-Deficiency Anemia Linked to Hearing Loss

Iron-deficiency anemia (IDA), a common and easily treated condition that results from a lack of sufficient iron in the body, has been found to impact hearing ability in some people. In a recent study, researchers discovered that, while 1.6 percent of the general population has hearing loss, 3.4 percent of people with IDA have hearing loss, more than double the national number.

The study comprised 305,339 adults from 21 to 90 years of age, and was led by Kathleen M. Schieffer, PhD candidate and Clinical and Translational Science Fellow, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, Pa.

Earlier studies have shown that in 2014, 15 percent of adults had difficulty with hearing loss, with white men most affected. Hearing loss continues to increase with each decade of age, and affects 40 to 66 percent of adults older than age 65, and 80 percent of adults older than 85.

Several Types of Hearing Loss. IDA is associated with several types of hearing loss, including sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) and conducted hearing loss (CHL). SNHL is caused by damage to the inner ear (cochlea) or the nerve pathways from the inner ear to the brain. SNHL is a permanent condition and cannot be cured. It is more common in people over 40, and increases in occurrence in those age 60 and older. Symptoms include difficulty hearing in noisy surroundings, difficulty understanding high-pitched voices or sounds, or tracking conversations when two or more people are speaking, and hearing voices as mumbled or slurred.

CHL is characterized by a decrease in the level of sound and/or ability to hear faint sounds. It occurs when sound is not conducted efficiently through the outer ear canal to the eardrum and small bones of the middle ear. CHL can be corrected surgically or medically, unlike SNHL, and is caused by ear infections, allergies, fluid in the middle ear from colds, a perforated eardrum, earwax “swimmer’s” ear, or because a foreign object is stuck in the ear.

Some patients in the study—1.6 percent—were found to have combined hearing loss, a combination of the above, in addition to deafness, or unspecified hearing loss, with a 0.7 percent prevalence of IDA. Researchers’ analysis showed increased odds of SNHL and combined hearing loss among adults with IDA.

Treatment for IDA. The deficiency is easily correctable via dietary changes, iron supplements, or, in more serious cases, blood transfusion, iron injections or intravenous therapy.

Foods rich in iron include red meat, chicken, turkey, pork, fish, and shellfish. Other, non-meat sources include iron-fortified breads and cereals; peas, lentils, white and red beans, soybeans, and chickpeas; tofu, dried fruits, dark leafy green vegetables, and prune juice. Consuming dietary vitamin C will help the body absorb iron.

Hearing loss is vastly undertreated in the U.S. If you are aware of difficulty hearing, consult your doctor to see if physical reasons, such as IDA, could be the cause, and ask to have a hearing evaluation. Steps are underway to cover a variety of hearing aids under Medicare, which has heretofore not been the case.

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