Adults 65 and older with gout have a 44 percent higher risk of developing hearing loss independent of demographic, comorbidities, and use of common medications, according to a new study (BMJ Open. 2018 Aug 20;8(8):e022854). Researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine examined 5% Medicare claims from 2006 to 2012 and identified cases of incident hearing impairment among patients with existing gout. Of the 1.71 million people included, 89,409 developed incident hearing impairment. Compared with the people without, people with hearing impairment were older, less likely to be black, and had higher medical comorbidity. The crude incidence rates of incident hearing impairment in people with and without gout were 16.9 v. 8.7 per 1,000 person-years. The association between gout and hearing loss has long been suspected because they share similar pathological processes, but the authors said this is the first study to investigate this relationship. The authors also said that the hypothesis that hyperuricaemia-related inflammation and oxidative stress pathways potentially link gout to the risk of hearing loss in older adults should be tested in future studies, which should reveal which factors contribute to this increased risk and to what extent.
from #Audiology via ola Kala on Inoreader https://ift.tt/2MAqAw9
via IFTTT
