Review of Studies on the Relationship between Cigarette Smoking and Hearing Loss and the Related Factors

Abstract

Hearing loss due to noise is considered one of the most common occupational diseases around the world. Hearing impairment can be caused by a combination of mechanical and metabolic factors. On the other hand, smoking can affect the blood supply to the cochlea due to changes in peripheral vessels. One of the factors that can have an ototoxic effect on the hearing system is the use of tobacco. The objective of this study was to review studies on the relationship between smoking and hearing loss. For this purpose, several studies that had reported different results in the last recent years were reviewed and their results were reported. Databases included Web of Sciences, PubMed/ Medline, EMBASE, and Cochrane. The study results showed that the use of tobacco causes hearing loss and a reduction in the hearing threshold, especially at high and speech frequencies. As a result, smoking and noise have a common process for hearing loss. This effect becomes more intense as the intensity of smoking and age increase. The important point is that there are industries that are noisy and the risk of hearing loss in smokers can cause more accidents in industries in addition to imposing an economic burden on society, as well as isolation, social problems, and a reduction in people’s quality of life. Therefore, more emphasis should be placed on the implementation of smoking cessation training plans, especially for workers who work in noisy environments.