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.

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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.

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We have seen much press about a hearing loss epidemic primarily due to recreational noise such as the use of iPods. We have been tracking the hearing loss population now since 1989 and in our latest survey to 80,000 households found that the incidence of hearing loss increased from 10% in 1989 to 11.3% in 2008. The prevalence of hearing loss per thousand households increased from 266 per thousand households to 295 per thousand households. The increase in hearing loss appears to be due to the aging of America. The data hardly provide evidence that there is an epidemic.

For further information see our 25 year trend report on the hearing loss population.