Growing evidence suggests that hearing loss may be an overlooked risk factor and consequence of ischemic stroke [1]. Several large-scale cohort analyses indicate that individuals with hearing loss are at increased risk of stroke, with the degree of hearing impairment correlating with the severity of vascular pathology [2]. Conversely, patients with acute stroke are reported to have a disproportionately high incidence of sensorineural hearing loss within a year of the event [3]. These observations have gathered interest in the possibility that microvascular insults to the cochlea could be mirrored in the cerebral circulation, potentially pointing an elevated vulnerability to future vascular events.
