An Aspirin a Day May Not Keep the Doctor Away
New research suggests that regular use of aspirin, acetaminophen and other analgesics can substantially increase the risk of hearing loss, especially in men younger than 50.
Researchers report in the American Journal of Medicine that use of acetaminophen more than twice a week by such men doubles the risk of hearing loss, use of ibuprofen and related non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) increases the risk by nearly two-thirds, and regular use of aspirin increases it by about a third.
In an earlier blog I stated that there is no hearing loss epidemic in America. If you have been following the media over the last five years you have heard dire predictions about listening to loud music and the dangers of iPods. Well the 20 year longitudinal study at Beaver Dam WI indicates that members of the rock 'n' roll generation are aging with much better hearing than their parents had at the same age.