The finding stems from an analysis of survey data concerning more than 11,500 men over the age of 40 that had been collected by the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality between 2003 and 2006.
Gerald McGwin, a professor of epidemiology in the University of Alabama and his team found that men who said they used phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE5) inhibitor drugs had twice the risk for developing hearing loss as those who did not.
The authors suggests that one possible explanation could lie in the original purpose of these medications. They note that although now used mainly for erectile dysfunction, this class of drugs was initially prescribed for the treatment of pulmonary high blood pressure.
PDE5 inhibitor medications work in erectile dysfunction patients by their ability to increase blood flow to certain tissues in the body and it has been hypothesized that they may have a similar effect on similar tissues in the ear, where an increase of blood flow could potentially cause damage leading to hearing loss.
It appears from these findings that the 2007 warning by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration regarding hearing loss and the use of PDE5 inhibitor medications is warranted.
"Though there are limitations to this study, it is prudent that patients using these medications be warned about the signs and symptoms of hearing impairment and be encouraged to seek immediate medical attention to potentially forestall permanent damage," McGwin cautions.
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