Association of hearing loss with total and cause-specific mortality in US adults

• Published in: Environmental science and pollution research international Vol. 29; no. 4; pp. 5032 - 5042
• Main Authors: Feng, Xiaobing, Li, Wenzhen, Cheng, Man, Qiu, Weihong, Liang, Ruyi, Li, Minjing, Chen, Weihong, Wang, Dongming
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.01.2022; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adult; Aquatic Pollution; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Cardiovascular disease; Cardiovascular diseases; Cause of Death; Coronary artery disease; death; dose response; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecotoxicology; Environment; Environmental Chemistry; Environmental Health; Environmental science; Hearing; Hearing Loss; Hearing protection; Heart diseases; Humans; Mortality; National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey; Nutrition; Nutrition Surveys; Proportional Hazards Models; Research Article; risk; Speech; Statistical models; Thresholds; Waste Water Technology; Water Management; Water Pollution Control; Cause-specific mortality; Hearing thresholds; Total mortality; Hearing impairment; Hearing loss
• ISSN: 0944-1344; 1614-7499; 1614-7499
• DOI: 10.1007/s11356-021-16038-z

We expected to explore the associations of hearing loss and hearing thresholds at different frequencies with total and cause-specific mortality. In this study, 11,732 individuals derived from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999–2012 were included. Data of death was extracted from the NHANES Public-Use Linked Mortality File through December 31, 2015. Cox proportional hazards models were used to explore the associations between hearing loss, hearing thresholds at different frequencies, and total or cause-specific mortality. A total of 1,253 deaths occurred with a median follow-up of 12.15 years. A significant positive dose-response relationship between hearing loss in speech frequency and total mortality was observed, and the HRs and 95% CIs were 1.16 (0.91, 1.47), 1.54 (1.19, 2.00), and 1.85 (1.36, 2.50), respectively, for mild, moderate, and severe speech-frequency hearing loss (SFHL) with a P trend of 0.0003. In addition, moderate (HR: 1.90, 95% CI: 1.20–3.00) and greater (3.50, 1.38–8.86) SFHL significantly elevated risk of heart disease mortality. Moreover, hearing thresholds of >25 dB at 500, 1000, or 2000 Hz were significantly associated with elevated mortality from all causes (1.40, 1.17–1.68; 1.44, 1.20–1.73; and 1.33, 1.10–1.62, respectively) and heart disease (1.89, 1.08–3.34; 1.95, 1.21–3.16; and 1.89, 1.16–3.09, respectively). Hearing loss is associated with increased risks of total mortality and heart disease mortality, especially for hearing loss at speech frequency. Preventing or inhibiting the pathogenic factors of hearing loss is important for reducing the risk of death.