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Hearing loss and ischemic heart disease
1Department of Medicine, Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center, Chicago, IL.
Insights
Hearing loss (HL) is a significant early marker for ischemic heart disease (IHD). Patients with unexplained HL are eight times more likely to have IHD, suggesting a shared underlying vascular process.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Otolaryngology
- Genetics
Background:
- Ischemic heart disease (IHD) is a leading cause of mortality worldwide.
- Hearing loss (HL) is a common condition with various etiologies.
- The relationship between HL and cardiovascular disease requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between hearing loss and ischemic heart disease.
- To determine if hearing loss can serve as an early marker for IHD.
- To explore potential shared risk factors or etiological pathways.
Main Methods:
- Comparative study design involving patients with IHD, organic heart disease (OHD), and healthy controls.
- Assessment of hearing loss (degree, cause, duration) in all participant groups.
- Statistical analysis, including logistic regression, to evaluate the association between HL and IHD, controlling for potential confounders.
Main Results:
- A significantly higher prevalence of hearing loss was observed in patients with IHD (34/103) compared to controls (12/101) and OHD (4/29).
- Among patients with hearing loss and no other identifiable cause, those with IHD were significantly more likely to have IHD than controls (19/34 vs. 4/12).
- Logistic regression indicated an eightfold increased probability of IHD in individuals with unexplained hearing loss compared to those with normal hearing.
Conclusions:
- Hearing loss, particularly when of unknown etiology, is strongly associated with ischemic heart disease.
- Hearing loss may serve as an early, preclinical marker for underlying generalized arteriosclerotic or vascular processes.
- The findings suggest a potential heredofamilial link in some cases, warranting further research into shared genetic factors.
Abstract:
One hundred three patients with ischemic heart disease (IHD) were compared with 29 patients with organic heart disease and normal coronary arteries (OHD) and with a control group of 101 patients free of heart disease and matched for age and sex. Twelve patients in the control group, 4 in the OHD group, and 34 patients in the IHD group were found to have hearing loss (HL) of different degrees, cause, and duration (P = 0.0003). Of the HL-IHD group, 19 of the 34 patients had no underlying etiologic factor compared with 4 of the 12 patients in the control group (P = 0.0005); age was not an important factor. Multiple logistic regression analysis suggests that the probability of a patient with HL of unknown etiology to have IHD is eight times greater than in individuals with normal hearing. In the HL groups (12 controls and 34 with IHD), there were no significant differences in sex, hypertension, obesity, or smoking, but there was a lower incidence of diabetes and a higher incidence of family history in the HL-IHD group than in the HL-control group. Two patients in the HL-IHD group had families with many members affected by both deafness and IHD, suggesting a heredofamilial disease. HL always preceded the clinical manifestation of IHD and appears to be an important "early marker" of a vascular or generalized arteriosclerotic process.