Pain killers linked to hearing impairment in women

Pain killers have become a lot more popular in the recent times due to their increased use in day-to-day life and their ability to treat a wide range of painful conditions. These medications execute their actions by targeting the central as well as peripheral nervous system and include the most common acetaminophen (paracetamol), NSAIDs (Non Steroidal Anti Inflammatory Drugs) and Opiods.

A recent clinical research study has established a strong relation between these temporary pain ceasing medications and hearing loss in women specifically under the age group of 50 years. The study established that the intake of pain relieving drugs ibuprofen (NSAID) and acetaminophen either two times a week or more increased the risk of hearing loss in females. It has been found that more than half of the American individuals are afflicted with high-frequency hearing impairment by the age of 60, with 2/3rd women experiencing one or other kind of hearing problems by 60 and 1/3rd by the age of 50.

Diving into the study details of the research

The study was conducted by carrying out the clinical examination of around 62,261 women participants enrolled in the study and belonging to the age group of 31 to 48 years and for a period of around 14 years (1995 – 2009). Around 10,012 women were reported to be affected by hearing loss and aspirin was found to be not linked with these side effects.

The results obtained showed that the women taking the aid of the ibuprofen medication for around 2 - 3 days a week were at 13% increased risk of suffering from hearing loss as compared with the women taking the drug only once a week. The risk increased to 21% in women consuming the same drug for around 4 -5 days a week and to 24% in those taking it for more than 6 days week. Whereas, acetaminophen reported 11% risk in women taking this drug for 2 – 3 days a week and around 21% in women consuming this drug for more than 6 days a week.

The possible action mechanism of these harmful pain killer drugs is that the NSAIDs may annul the flow of blood to cochlea (hearing organ) and acetaminophen might cause depletion in the key protective factors of cochlea resulting in hearing impairment.