Sensorineural hearing loss among hypertensive patients attending cardiac institute in Tanzania: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

INTRODUCTION Hypertension is among non-communicable diseases worldwide and it has been associated with sensorineural hearing loss. Almost 1.39 billion people (1 out of 4 adults) have hypertension and this figure is expected to increase. In Sub-Saharan Africa, hypertension is the leading cause of death and disability. Hypertension is associated with sensorineural hearing loss by compromising the blood supply in the cochlea. MATERIALS AND METHODS An assessment of the proportion and patterns of sensorineural hearing loss among hypertensive patients was conducted. 191 patients aged 18 years and above were recruited. History and physical examination including blood pressure, and otoscopy were done. Pure tone audiometry (PTA) was conducted. RESULTS Patients aged from 36 to 88 years with a mean age of 60 years and a standard deviation of 10. The patients aged between 61–76 years accounted for 85 (44.5%), whereas 29–44 and > 76 years accounted for 12 (6.3%) each. The female-to-male ratio was 1:1. Sensorineural hearing loss was detected in 144 (75.4%), commonly above 76 years of age which was 11 (91.7%. Mild sensorineural hearing loss was the most common degree revealed. There was no relationship between the degree of sensorineural hearing loss and the grades of hypertension (p-value of 0.113). No relationship between the duration of hypertension with the severity of hearing loss, p-value =0.369. CONCLUSION The prevalence of sensorineural hearing loss among hypertensive patients was 75.4%. The bilateral and mild degree was the commonest presentation. Increasing age was found to be associated with increased hearing loss. The duration and grade of hypertension were not related to the severity of hearing loss.