A publication of Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology.
Hearing loss is a prevalent chronic condition that poses a major public health concern. Among persons in the United States aged ≥12 years, ~38 million are estimated to have hearing loss and by 2040, ~63 million adults (≥20 years) are projected to have hearing loss. Depression, social isolation, accelerated cognitive decline, and increased fall risk have been independently associated with hearing loss hence understanding its risk factors is of public health and clinical significance.
Medical comorbidities including hypertension, and diabetes have significant relationships to hearing loss, as have modifiable behaviors such as tobacco smoking. Epidemiological studies have explored associations with various cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk metrics, which are used to determine overall risk factor load based on the status of multiple CVD risk factors. These studies have yielded mixed results. For example, metabolic syndrome was associated with hearing loss in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) but not in the Korean NHANES. Tan et al. reported a graded association between Framingham Risk Score and hearing loss in the Busselton Healthy Ageing Study. The Epidemiology of Hearing Loss Study reported that a history of myocardial infarction was associated with cochlear (inner ear) impairment in older women. That study assessed cochlear integrity with otoacoustic emissions (OAEs), low-level sounds produced by healthy cochleae that provide a barometer of auditory health independent of the behavioral audiogram. However, research on the association between CVD risk status and cochlear function remains limited, especially at the population level.