Although the finding may point the way to potential therapeutics for hearing loss, the researchers highlighted that all of the participants in the trial had normal levels of the hormone, aldosterone, and that patients and physicians should not consider altering levels of the hormone without more research.
The team of scientists put 47 healthy men and women between the ages of 58 and 84 through a battery of sophisticated hearing tests. Scientists also measured their blood levels of aldosterone, which is known to drop as people age. They found that people with severe hearing loss had on average about half as much aldosterone in their bloodstream as their counterparts with normal hearing.
“Depressed hormone levels may hurt hearing both in the inner ear and the part of the brain used for hearing. More research is needed, however, to understand the precise role that aldosterone plays – for instance, whether it’s a cause of failed hearing, or whether it’s symptomatic,” said Dr Robert Frisina, professor of Otolaryngology at the University of Rochester medical center.