Smoking May Hamper Ear Health

New research shows that smokers are more likely than nonsmokers to have complications and worse hearing after surgery to correct chronic problems in their middle ear.

That's according to J. Matthew Conoyer, MD, and colleagues at Vanderbilt University and the Otology Group of Vanderbilt.

They reviewed the medical records of more than 1,100 people who got surgery to fix chronic ear problems at the Otology Group of Vanderbilt in Nashville from 1990 to 2005.

The patients ranged in age from 1-83 (average age: 34). Most patients -- 63% -- were nonsmokers, 21% were current smokers, 5% were former smokers, and smoking status wasn't available for the remaining 11% of the group.

Tobacco can irritate the ears, and the new study suggests that surgery doesn't totally erase those problems.

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