Relationship between hypertension and hearing disorders in the elderly

Objective: To investigate the relationship between hypertension and hearing disorders of the elderly. Design: Prospective case-control study. Setting: Lin Yi People's Hospital, Shandong Province, the People's Republic of China, from October 1995 to June 1997, Participants: Fifty five hypertensive patients and fifty five normal elderl y subjects (control group) between the ages of fifty five and eighty nine y ears old were enrolled in the study. All patients were male and were divide d into three groups according to age as follows: Group A: 55-64; Group B: 6 5-74; Group C: 75-89. Interventions and main outcome measures: SIMENS DA-64 audiometer and MEDSON 2250 auditory brainstem response audiometry (ABR) were utilised to determi ne the degree of hearing disorders. Serum triglycerides and cholesterol wer e also tested in our central laboratory. Results: Auditory thresholds collected during audiometric tests increased g radually 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 h ad an influence on hearing disorders in relation to the ageing process. Conclusion: Hypertension, with a high level of blood triglycerides and chol esterol, worsens the hearing of the elderly. The hearing disorder in elderl y people is a result of long duration of illness and the complications of t he hypertension.