Exposure to secondhand smoke associated with hearing loss in adolescents
2011-07-19
(Press-News.org) Exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS) is associated with increased risk of hearing loss among adolescents, according to a report in the July issue of Archives of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Among U.S. children, approximately 60 percent are exposed to SHS, according to background information in the article. Studies have associated exposure to secondhand smoke prenatally or during childhood with various health conditions, from low birth weight and respiratory infections to behavioral problems and otitis media. Children exposed to SHS are more likely to develop recurrent otitis media, the authors note. "Secondhand smoke may also have the potential to have an impact on auditory development, leading to sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL)," they add.
Anil K. Lalwani, M.D., and colleagues from NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City examined the risk factors for SNHL, including SHS, among adolescents, stratified by demographic groups. They included 1,533 individuals from 12 years to 19 years of age who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2005 to 2006. Participants were interviewed about their health status and family medical history, exposure to SHS, and self-recognition of hearing impairment. In addition, they underwent a physical examination, including blood testing for cotinine (a by-product of nicotine exposure), and hearing tests.
Compared with teens who had no SHS exposure, those who were exposed to secondhand smoke exhibited higher rates of low- and high-frequency hearing loss. The rate of hearing loss appeared to be cumulative, increasing with the level of cotinine detected by blood tests. The results also demonstrated that more than 80 percent of participants with hearing loss did not realize they had impairment.
As hearing loss early in life can cause problems with development and functioning, the authors suggest that these results have "significant implications for public health in the United States." They note that most adolescents do not receive screening for hearing loss in the absence of risk factors; if further studies replicate these results, they state, SHS could be considered one such risk factor. "Adolescents who are exposed to SHS may need to be more closely monitored for hearing loss," the researchers conclude. "In addition, they should be educated about risk factors for hearing loss, such as recreational or occupational noise exposure and SHS."
###
(Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2011;137[7]:655-662. Available pre-embargo to the media at www.jamamedia.org.)
Editor's Note: This work was supported, in part, by grants from the Zausmer Foundation and the National Institutes of Health/National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities. Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.
To contact Anil K. Lalwani, M.D., call Lorinda Klein at 212-404-3533 or e-mail lorindaann.klein@nyumc.org.
END
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
2011-07-19
Mathematical modeling of infectious diseases is an important tool in the understanding and prediction of epidemics. Knowledge of social interactions is used to understand how infectious diseases spread through populations and how to control epidemics. New research published in BMC Medicine shows that a model, which included dynamic information about the heterogeneity of contact length and rate of making new contacts, was as effective as a more complex model which included the order of contacts.
Data was collected over a two-day period, within the Socio Patterns project, ...
2011-07-19
When the Hamiltons purchased their holiday home in Camposol Golf on the Costa Cálida six years ago, they had no aspirations for amassing a property portfolio. However, a combination of Barry's upcoming retirement and news of a Paramount-branded Theme Park encouraged them to take advantage of the current buyers' market and purchase an additional home in Camposol Golf.
Barry (51), from County Antrim in Northern Ireland, picks up the story, "Spain was an obvious choice for us as it's just a couple of hours by direct flight from Belfast, has excellent infrastructure, ...
2011-07-19
Taking another major step in sleuthing the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, a research team led by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) has determined what chemicals were contained in a deep, hydrocarbon-containing plume at least 22 miles long that WHOI scientists mapped and sampled last summer in the Gulf of Mexico, a residue of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Moreover, they have taken a big step in explaining why some chemicals, but not others, made their way into the plume.
The findings, published this week in the online edition of the Proceedings of the ...
2011-07-19
CHICAGO – Among Latinos living in the United States, acculturation is associated with sunscreen use, but not with use of sun-protective clothing, according to a report in the July issue of Archives of Dermatology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
According to background information in the article, DNA damage and skin cancer are an important health issue for U.S. Latinos. Their annual age-adjusted incidence of melanoma is 4.5 per 100,000, which represents an increase of 28.6 percent since 1992. Further, when melanoma is diagnosed, it tends to be thicker among Latinos ...
2011-07-19
Young Frankenmuth writer Christopher Mundie has written a funny, up-beat book about the life of a special kind of guy; the kind of guy you wouldn't want to have at your party or end up owing any favors to. You know the type, the cynical, sarcastic, self-centered, lying and conniving—he's The Jerk. Being a Jerk isn't so bad though, it can get you free coffee, wads of cash and a gigantic fish (if you're lucky). You can definitely hate him, but there's one thing you can't blame him for, and that's for bumping into him in the first place.
I spoke with Christopher Mundie ...
2011-07-19
Physician-based screening for melanoma is associated with higher rates of physician-detected melanoma and detection of thinner melanoma, according to a report published Online First today by Archives of Dermatology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
The disease-specific survival rate for advanced-stage melanoma is poor, so detecting the cancer in an earlier stage is the best means to ensure a favorable prognosis, according to background information in the article. Previous research has demonstrated that patients find most melanomas, and that those lesions tend to be ...
2011-07-19
Removing a portion of the platysma muscle may ease symptoms for patients experiencing chronic neck stiffness and involuntary movement, according to a report in the July issue of Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
In previous research, removal of parts of the platysma—the muscle stretching from the shoulders and chest through the neck—appeared successful in alleviating hypertonicity (muscular rigidity), according to background information in the article. The authors, who had begun to use muscle-transfer surgeries to treat facial paresis ...
2011-07-19
DALLAS – July 18, 2011 – Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center say there are at least 70 genetic mutations involved in the formation of colon cancer, far more than scientists previously thought.
Based on the study, published in the July 2011 Cancer Research (Priority Reports), researchers are suggesting a new approach to colon cancer treatments targeting multiple genes and pathways simultaneously. Current cancer treatments target just one or two known cancer-driver genes believing this would be beneficial to patients. While patients may get transient tumor burden ...
2011-07-19
The South Bay Women's Network has long supported women's causes and August 2 the organization will host its Summer Mixer, an event dedicated to raising funds for an educational scholarship to be awarded to a female, adult re-entry student attending Cuesta College.
"There are many amazing women in this community who are daring to return to college and pursue their educational goals," said Mia Simmons, SBWN President. "The SBWN Summer Mixer is a wonderful way for our members to support that journey."
The scholarship is open to women returning to ...
2011-07-19
Monday, 18 July, 2011 (Rome, Italy) - Researchers speaking in the first plenary session of the 6th IAS Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention (IAS 2011) have today offered insights into current and future HIV prevention research and discussed how biomedical developments over the past two years are beginning to shape debate on the future of HIV prevention policy.
The presentations reflect the breadth of expertise among the more than 5,000 researchers, clinicians and community leaders attending the conference, which runs from 17-20 July in Rome.
"We ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
[Press-News.org] Exposure to secondhand smoke associated with hearing loss in adolescents
