Relationship between hypertension and hearing disorders in the elderly
Chen, Y.L.; Ding, Y.P.
East African Medical Journal 76(6): 344-347
1999
ISSN/ISBN: 0012-835X PMID: 10750524 Document Number: 509560
To investigate the relationship between hypertension and hearing disorders of the elderly. Prospective case-control study. Lin Yi People's Hospital, Shandong Province, the People's Republic of China, from October 1995 to June 1997. Fifty five hypertensive patients and fifty five normal elderly subjects (control group) between the ages of fifty five and eighty nine years old were enrolled in the study. All patients were male and were divided into three groups according to age as follows: Group A: 55-64; Group B: 65-74; Group C: 75-89. SIMENS DA-64 audiometer and MEDSON 2250 auditory brainstem response audiometry (ABR) were utilised to determine the degree of hearing disorders. Serum triglycerides and cholesterol were also tested in our central laboratory. Auditory thresholds collected during audiometric tests increased gradually in proportion with age, especially in the hypertensive group (p < 0.05). The results of the ABR demonstrated that the latencies of wave V, I-VIPL and III-VIPL were also prolonged compared with normal elderly subjects. The patient's duration of illness and the complications of hypertension had an influence on hearing disorders in relation to the ageing process. Hypertension, with a high level of blood triglycerides and cholesterol, worsens the hearing of the elderly. The hearing disorder in elderly people is a result of long duration of illness and the complications of the hypertension.