effect of cigarette smoking on hearing

In the present study, an audiological evaluation was done for 400 male Egyptian subjects aged between twenty and sixty years. Detailed smoking histories were taken and complete general and otorhinolaryngological examinations were done followed by audiological assessment using pure tone audiometer [Amplaid 208]. Smoking was found to adversely affect hearing ability in a dose related manner in both current and previous cigarette smokers. Among previous smokers, improvement in hearing was related to the time elapsed since the cessation of smoking. These data suggest that smoking causes a long-term, but reversible, adverse effect on hearing