Relação entre obesidade e audição: uma revisão narrativa de literatura

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Obesity is a chronic disease characterized by the accumulation of fat in the body caused by excessive consumption of calories in food. Recent studies point to a correlation between hearing and obesity, where it appears that the higher the body mass index and waist circumference of the individual, the greater the risk of developing some type of hearing disorder. Individuals who have insulin resistance, who have hyperinsulinemia and consume a high-fat diet, in a special way, may suffer damage to the hair cells of the inner ear. AIM: To investigate the relationship between obesity and hearing. METHODS: A literature search was carried out 1 Graduando em Fonoaudiologia pela Universidade Federal da Paraíba. 2 Fonoaudiólogo. Professor Associado I do Departamento de Fonoaudiologia da UFPB. 2 through articles published between 2013 and 2022, in the Scielo, PubMed and LILACS/BVS databases, using the descriptors “audição”, “perda auditiva” e “obesidade” (Portuguese), in addition to the corresponding words in English “hearing”, “hearing loss” and “obesity”, about the relationship between obesity and its implications for the hearing of obese individuals. DISCUSSION: The studies showed contributions related to obesity in all age groups. The main findings were related to sensorineural hearing loss, whether at high or low frequencies, sudden hearing loss, tinnitus and infectious processes, such as otitis media with effusion as pathological occurrences related to obesity. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS: Most of the studies addressed in this review showed that obesity causes a negative impact on hearing in different age groups, regardless of the individual's metabolic state.