A new study suggests that apart from anemia, people with low iron levels in their blood may also develop hearing loss.

Researchers found out that people with iron deficiency have twice higher chance of having compromised sense of hearing compared to those who are not iron deficient.

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The medical history of over 300,000 Pennsylvanian adults whose age ranges from 21 to 90 was analyzed in this study.

The researchers also divided hearing loss into three categories including conductive, sensorineural, and combined hearing loss. The first one occurs when the sound cannot properly travel through the organ, the second one involves a damaged nerve sending signals to the ear and the last one is a combination of the two types. According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, sensorineural hearing loss is permanent.

It was discovered that iron deficient individuals have 2.4 times higher risk of getting combined hearing loss than those who have normal iron levels in their blood. They are also 1.8 times more likely to develop sensorineural hearing loss while the studied deficiency was found to have no connection with development of conductive hearing loss.

The researchers explained that iron deficiency may result in the development of sensorineural hearing loss because it is one of the culprits of blood vessels and nerve cells sheath damage. While conductive hearing loss is linked to mechanical factors such as fluid and earwax blockage or punctured eardrums. Author Kathleen Schieffer said, "the part of the inner ear affected by sensorineural hearing loss is supplied by only one artery, which makes it susceptible to damage if low oxygen is present."

It was clarified that the study published in the JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery had limitations because it did not include other risk factors like diabetes, high blood pressure, and smoking habits of the individuals. Schieffer said, "there is currently no evidence to confirm that treating iron deficiency anemia will improve hearing health."