SuddenHearing Loss
Sudden hearing loss may signal vulnerability to
stroke, according to a recent study.
Scientists at Taipei Medical University in
Taiwan found that people who went deaf with no warning had a
1.64 times greater likelihood of suffering a stroke within five years.
Researchers examined the records of 1,423
patients hospitalized for sudden hearing loss and a control group of 5,692 patients hospitalized for
appendectomies.
In the following five years, 180 hearing
loss patients (12.7%) and 441 appendectomy patients (7.8%)
suffered strokes.
When I called Bruce Ovbiagele, MD, associate professor of neurology and
director of the Stroke Program at Olive-View/UCLA Medical Center in
California, to ask about this study, he told me that sudden onset of
symptoms is what is most significant.
Stroke is the third leading cause of death and the most common
cause of long-term disability in this
country.
Do not ignore symptoms, even if they go away, for they may also be a harbinger of future risk -- always follow up with your
physician.
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