A recent study found a link between hearing health and the risk of heart failure.
Poor hearing has been linked to heart failure in a new study. Heart failure, a condition where the heart can’t pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs. is often caused by a weakened or stiff heart muscle – and can result in death.
Maintaining a healthy heart is essential for overall wellbeing, and one of the most effective ways to support cardiovascular health is through diet. Foods rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats, are good for your heart, as is limiting saturated and trans fats, sodium, and added sugars.
But scientists suggest that diet isn’t the only factor that can affect the risk of heart failure. The new study has revealed that the psychological distress caused by hearing impairment also plays a “notable” role in heart health.
In the UK, an estimated 18million people are affected by hearing loss, tinnitus, or deafness, representing roughly one in three adults.
In the study, experts in China analysed UK Biobank data from 164,431 people who had completed tests designed to determine hearing ability. Around 160,062 of these participants did not wear hearing aids.
They were put into three groups based on their performance in a digit triplet test (DTT), which screens for hearing problems by using random combinations of digits against background noise.
None of the people initially included in the analysis had heart failure. But over a follow-up period of more than 11 years, 4,449 of them developed the condition.
Heart failure can present with symptoms like fatigue, shortness of breath, and swelling in the legs and ankles, and it is estimated that more than one million people in the UK have the long-term condition.
The NHS explains that heart failure can significantly reduce life expectancy, with many individuals not surviving beyond five to 10 years after diagnosis.
The study found that those who had a higher speech reception threshold (SRT) – meaning they needed louder speech to understand words – had an increased risk of heart failure.
They said: “Compared with those with normal hearing, participants with insufficient hearing, poor hearing, or hearing aid use had higher heart failure risks.”
High SRT levels were also associated with psychological distress, social isolation and neuroticism among those who did not wear hearing aids.
The researchers added: “We have been the first to demonstrate that poor hearing ability is significantly associated with a higher risk of incident heart failure in the general population.
“Psychological factors, especially psychological distress, play a significant mediating role in this association.
“If further confirmed, hearing impairment may be a potential risk factor or marker for incident heart failure in the general population, highlighting the importance of integrating hearing health assessments into broader cardiovascular risk evaluation frameworks.
“Moreover, strengthening psychological intervention in people with hearing impairment may be an important path and strategy to reduce the risk of heart failure.”
