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Relationship between ideal cardiovascular health metrics and hearing loss: A 10-year retrospective cohort study
Tzu-Hsiang Tseng1,2, Li-Xian Yeo1,3, Wei-Liang Chen1,4,5
1Division of Family Medicine, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan.
Insights
Maintaining ideal cardiovascular health (CVH) metrics, particularly not smoking, significantly reduces the risk of developing hearing loss over ten years. This research highlights the protective effects of healthy lifestyle choices on auditory health.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Audiology
- Public Health
Background:
- The relationship between ideal cardiovascular health (CVH) metrics and the incidence of hearing loss is not well-established.
- Cardiovascular health is crucial for overall well-being, and its impact on sensory organs like the ear warrants investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between ideal cardiovascular health metrics and the development of hearing loss.
- To analyze the protective effects of maintaining multiple ideal CVH metrics on hearing health over a decade.
Main Methods:
- A retrospective cohort study was conducted with 6974 participants from a health management center in Taiwan.
- Hearing thresholds were assessed, defining hearing loss as a four-frequency average >25 dB HL.
- Ideal CVH metrics were categorized, and logistic regression analyzed associations with hearing loss, considering the sum and individual metrics.
Main Results:
- Participants with 5-7 ideal CVH metrics had significantly lower odds of developing hearing loss (OR=0.74, p=0.01) compared to those with 0-2 metrics.
- An ideal smoking status was independently associated with reduced odds of hearing loss (OR=0.72, p=0.003).
Conclusions:
- An increased number of ideal cardiovascular health metrics confers a protective effect against hearing loss.
- Optimizing cardiovascular health, with a specific emphasis on smoking cessation, is vital for preserving auditory function.
Objective:
The role of ideal cardiovascular health (CVH) metrics in developing hearing loss remains uncertain. Thus, our objective was to analyse the connection between hearing loss and ideal CVH metrics in a 10-year retrospective cohort.
Study Design:
Retrospective cohort study.
Setting:
A health management centre in Taiwan.
Participants:
Participants who underwent the first annual health check-up between 2000 and 2006 and with a follow-up check-up more than ten years later.
Main Outcome Measures:
Hearing thresholds were measured at 500 Hz, 1000 Hz, 2000 Hz and 4000 Hz. Individuals with a best ear pure-tone audiometry four-frequency average of >25 dB HL were defined as having hearing loss. The ideal CVH metrics were classified into 7 categories based on the American Heart Association's definition. The associations of hearing loss with the sum of the ideal CVH metrics and each ideal CVH metric were examined by multiple logistic regression analysis.
Results:
The present study consisted of 6974 participants. The 10-year follow-up showed that the odds ratio (OR) of hearing loss was .74 for participants with 5-7 ideal CVH metrics (95% CI, .59-.93, p = .01) compared with those with 0-2 ideal CVH metrics. Among the CVH metrics, participants with an ideal smoking status might have reduced odds of developing hearing loss; the OR was .72 (95% CI, .58-.89, p = .003).
Conclusions:
Participants with an increased number of ideal CVH metrics and better performance on the smoking metric had a significantly protective effect regarding hearing loss development.
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