A Taiwanese study has found that the risk of hearing loss among people with fibromyalgia is 1.46 times higher than among people who do not experience fibromyalgia. In the study, patients with fibromyalgia had a significantly greater sensorineural hearing loss than those without fibromyalgia. Patients with fibromyalgia who also had comorbidities of diabetes, hyperlipidaemia, depression and Meniere’s disease had a higher risk of hearing loss than those without fibromyalgia.

Fibromyalgia is a musculoskeletal pain disorder.

The study included patients with new-onset fibromyalgia from 2000 to 2002 and age- and sex-matched randomised patients without fibromyalgia from Taiwan’s National Health Insurance Research Database.

Earlier study

Earlier, a Norwegian study found an even stronger relationship between fibromyalgia and hearing loss.

The researchers behind the Norwegian study found that people with fibromyalgia were 4.5 times more likely to experience hearing loss than people without the illness.

Source: www.physiciansweekly.com