Link between hearing impairment and rheumatoid arthritis
- Details
- Published on 18 May 2016
Research

A review on the association between rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and hearing impairment (HI) was recently published in the Open Rheumatology Journal and highlighted that patients with RA are at a higher risk during the course of their disease.
The review was carried out by researchers from the Odense University Hospital in Denmark. They performed a comprehensive search of all specialized sources (Pubmed, Embase, Cochrane, etc.) to answer the following questions: to what extent are people with RA at a higher risk of HI and what factors are involved.
In their article, they report that sensorineural hearing loss is the most common type of hearing impairment in RA patients, with a range of 25% to 72%, depending on the source, while conductive hearing loss and mixed hearing loss were reported far less frequently. The review also showed that HI in these patients is multifactorial, with the disease and environmental factors playing sometimes interrelated roles.
The researchers found that a large number of disease manifestations may be involved including for instance rheumatoid nodules that may affect the ears, auditory neuropathy due to vasculitis, or destruction of hair cells or the inner ear due to immune complex deposition. Many clinical variables are also likely to play a role, including age, sex, disease activity, and disease duration for example.
Among the many environmental factors, the authors specifically refer to smoking (both through active and passive exposure), alcohol consumption, and exposure to noise. They point out that all of these factors are likely to interact with RA and affect HI, but that no specific evidence or studies are available for RA patients.
Source: Emamifar A, et al. Is Hearing Impairment Associated with Rheumatoid Arthritis? A Review. Open Rheumatology Journal. 2016 Mar 15;10:26-32.

management psychology
The grumpy, lazy, manipulative, rude, and jealous. Here, in part two of our four-part series on management psychology, are five toxic types you may find in your practice, store, or office. How do you manage these difficult personalities? Learn some proven psychological stratagems.

Hearing Health
The significance of hearing care - as in both audiologists and hearing technology - is increasingly being pushed up the health ladder. And a recent case of a Specsavers customer getting life-saving advice from his audiologist brightens the spotlight on this importance.

acquisitions
ShengWang, the Chinese hearing aid chain of some 500 stores this month fully acquired by the Danish hearing giant Demant, brings the makers of Oticon and Philips devices 5% of the Asian country's retail market share.

obituary
The UK audiology community was shocked and saddened Wednesday (June 15) at the announcement by NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre of the death of its Clinical Hearing Sciences Group lead, Reverend Professor David Baguley.

events
There's just a summer to go - and you know how those fly - until the expansive halls of the Hanover Deutsche Messe convention centre in Germany opens its doors to the audiology world. EUHA is coming, and the organisers' annual video invitation is already here.

fittings
And we thought hearing instrument fittings were getting simpler, writes top audiologist Raúl García-Medina.

hearing tech
The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG), the standards mover and shaker for the short-range wireless tech now crucial for our key electronic gadgets - and hearing aids - has announced its next major enhancement: Auracast.
Company Directory
New products

hearing aids
Rechargeable and street-stylish, the new ReSound Custom hearing aid has a planned regulatory and global roll-out date of June 29, 2022. It confirms GN Hearing's faith in the attraction of the earbud form factor.
[ ... ]
batteries
Promising 19% more battery life and nine more hours of wireless streaming, new RAYOVAC battery technology announced at last September’s EUHA Congress is now shipping. The major battery producer - part of Energizer Holdings - is rolling out its Sound Fusion technology upgrade in size 312, 10, and 13 hearing aid batteries, with shipping underway to the company’s Pro Line and Extra customers as from June 1, 2022.
[ ... ]
Hearing aids
Pure 312 AX is the new kid on Signia's Augmented Xperience block. This hearing aid has an RIC design and uses Zn-Air batteries that last for up to four days, boasting direct streaming to Android and iOS devices.
[ ... ]