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.