A sudden loss of hearing could be an early indicator of stroke risk, preliminary research published in the American Heart Association scientific journals suggests.

Data collated from national medical insurance records in Taiwan, indicated that sudden hearing loss in patients could be linked to the likelihood of suffering a stroke within as little as two years.

Figures documenting 1,423 patients admitted to hospital for an acute episode of sudden sensorineural hearing loss revealed that they were more than one and a half times more likely to suffer a stroke than a control group of 5,692 patients hospitalised for an appendectomy.

Lead researcher, Dr Herng-Ching Lin, a professor at Taipei Medical University School of Health Care Administration, commented: "To the best of our knowledge, no study has investigated the incidence or risk of cerebrovascular diseases developing following the onset of sudden sensorineural hearing loss.

"But because this is the first time any association has been suggested, and because there were many limitations in the data, the results need to be interpreted cautiously until additional independent studies are performed."

Statistics show that high blood pressure contributes to over 12.7 million strokes worldwide, with Europe averaging approximately 650,000 stroke deaths each year.

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