Long-term painkiller use 'linked to hearing loss in women'

Conclusion Many people use medicines like paracetamol or ibuprofen for aches and pains. There's no suggestion from this study that occasional use to manage a headache or muscle strain is harmful. But the study is a reminder that regular use – defined by the researchers as two days or more a week – could have health consequences over time. However, this study has some limitations. As a cohort study, it can't prove cause and effect between paracetamol and NSAIDs and hearing loss. And it mainly included white women, all in the US, so we don't know if the results apply to other groups. Also, the increased risk was small – as there's no information about some factors that can also affect hearing, such as exposure to loud noise, it's possible unmeasured confounding factors might have explained the link. As hearing loss was not measured by hearing tests but just by asking people if they'd had hearing problems, it is subject to further diagnostic uncertainty. Overall, however, this study adds to previous evidence that the regular use of paracetamol and NSAID medicines could be a factor in some cases of hearing loss. It makes sense to limit your use of these drugs to when they're needed. If you find you have to take painkillers on several days a week, it's probably a good idea to talk to your doctor about what's causing the pain and whether there are better ways to manage it. Hearing loss is common as people get older. There are ways to protect your hearing – for exam...
Source: NHS News Feed - Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Medication Source Type: news