Is There a Connection Between Vaping and Hearing Loss?
Center For Hearing • November 9, 2023
Cigarette smoke has been established as a contributor to hearing loss. With many individuals moving to vaping as a substitute for smoking cigarettes, it raises the question of whether vaping has similar effects on hearing loss. There is currently no conclusive evidence linking vaping directly to hearing loss, but there are still harmful effects that could negatively impact your overall health.
If you have questions about how you can continue to hear your coffee dates at Black Letter Coffee & Café, contact your hearing specialist.
Potentially Harmful Substances
According to a 2022 study, persistent smoking was associated with worse audiometric hearing and speech-in-noise perception. Vaping has been established as having negative health impacts as well, increasing interest in restricting usage and cautioning against the recommendation to switch to vaping from smoking cigarettes.
There are potential ways vaping could negatively impact your overall health to the detriment of your hearing.
- Nicotine is a highly addictive substance and one of the most toxic of all poisons. It increases blood pressure and pulse rate and tightens blood vessels. The inner ear is extremely sensitive to blood flow, with the potential for damaging the inner ear hair cells that translate sound vibrations to the brain. Not all vapes include nicotine, but the ones that do often have unregulated amounts.
- Vape juice often contains an ototoxic chemical called propylene glycol. Ototoxic chemicals are chemicals that affect hearing or balance. In the study, the chemical was applied topically and was determined to affect hearing. According to the FDA, vape juice contains several toxic chemicals, and there is little known about the harmful effects of heating them, as happens with vape aerosol.
- A British study determined the human auditory system continues to adapt to environmental cues into adulthood, meaning the auditory systems of teens could potentially be vulnerable to toxins such as nicotine.
More studies are needed to determine a direct correlation between vaping and hearing loss specifically. However, vaping exposes the body to harmful chemicals that impact overall well-being.
If you have questions about how smoking or vaping may impact your health, schedule an appointment with your doctor. To schedule a hearing test, contact Center For Hearing.
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Hearing technology has come a long way over the years; however, one aspect of hearing loss that many hearing aids have difficulty addressing is trouble understanding speech in noise. Fortunately, some of today’s state-of-the-art devices can solve this problem utilizing deep neural networks (DNN) and artificial intelligence (AI). Sensorineural hearing loss causes difficulty understanding speech in background noise. This type of hearing loss is caused by damage to the hair cells of the inner ear that convert soundwaves into electrical energy, which are then interpreted by the brain. This causes the quality and quantity of the signal sent from the ears to the brain to diminish over time, resulting in the brain expending more energy and effort to make sense of it. DNNs may help improve the transmission of the neural code, making hearing easier on the brain. [1] It’s important to know what DNNs are to understand how they can help. DNNs are a subset of AI. They rapidly analyze large data sets so that they can teach hearing aids and other technological devices how to respond to data like a human would, all while verifying accuracy and making corrections. DNNs are beneficial in hearing technology because they can help with speech enhancement. DNNs can be applied as “time-frequency masks,” meaning select sounds—like speech—are allowed while other sounds are suppressed. DNNs can also identify and separate multiple voices, selecting a primary voice to emphasize and secondary voices to suppress. This feature can help hearing device wearers in a variety of settings. For example, at a restaurant or party, the hearing device can emphasize a conversation partner, allow other nearby voices at a reduced volume and suppress background noises such as dishes clinking. Schedule an appointment to talk to Center for Hearing about our vast state-of-the-art hearing solutions today— (239) 434-0086. [1] Published by Douglas L. Beck. (2021, January 15). Deep neural networks in hearing devices. Retrieved April 2, 2021 from https://www.hearingreview.com/hearing-products/hearing-aids/deep-neural-networks
A Boston biotech startup is attempting to develop the first gene therapy treatment for hearing loss. If successful, it promises to offer new hope to the estimated 300,000 Americans who suffer from gene-based hearing loss—a number that includes more than 4,000 newborns. The timing may not be ideal, but biotech companies have been largely immune from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing recession. Developing new drugs takes years, so these companies are better able to weather storms. And the efforts of biotechnology companies that are focusing on tools to prevent and treat potentially fatal health threats has resulted in soaring stock values for many of these companies, even in the face of the current crisis. Akouos, the Boston startup, was founded in 2016. Its goal is to develop the first gene therapy to treat hearing loss and is targeting a specific form of deafness that results from mutations in a single gene. They are experimenting with adeno-associated viruses, using them as vectors to deliver DNA that encodes a functioning gene in certain target cells. Around 7,000 people are afflicted with this type of genetic hearing loss. Adeno-associated viruses are considered viable candidates because they don’t usually cause disease and can be customized to treat a variety of genetic conditions. The company has partnered with two influential organizations: Massachusetts Eye and Ear and Lonza, a Swiss manufacturing company that holds contracts with various pharmaceutical makers. Manny Simons, Akouos’ co-founder and chief executive, holds a degree in neuroscience from Harvard College, a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and an MBA from Harvard Business School. His desire to help those with hearing loss stems from his passion for playing the piano. “It’s easy to take hearing for granted,” said in a Boston Globe interview. “Maybe because music has been important to me, it’s something that I take a little less for granted.” [1] [1] Saltzman, J. (2020, June 22). Akouos, a startup developing a gene therapy for hearing loss, raises IPO value to $125 million - The Boston Globe. Retrieved June 30, 2020, from https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/06/22/business/ipo-upped-akouos-boston-startup-working-gene-therapy-hearing-loss/
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