Association of all Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality With Hearing Loss Among US Adults: A Secondary Analysis Study

• Published in: International journal of public health Vol. 67; p. 1604785
• Main Authors: Cui, Yiran, Yan, Yan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland Frontiers Media S.A 17.05.2022
• Subjects: all-cause; cause-specific; hearing loss; mortality; prospective cohort study; Public Health Archive; US adults; mortality; cause-specific; hearing loss; US adults; all-cause; prospective cohort study
• ISSN: 1661-8564; 1661-8556; 1661-8564
• DOI: 10.3389/ijph.2022.1604785

Previous research revealed the relationship between hearing loss (HL) and all cause mortality. The aim of this study was to determine the association between HL and all causes and cause-specific mortality based on US adults. Data were obtained by linking National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) (2004-2013) with linkage to a mortality database to 31 December 2015. HL were categorized into four groups: good hearing, a little hearing difficulty, a lot of hearing difficulty, profoundly deaf. The relationship between HL and mortality risk was analyzed using Cox proportional hazards regression model. Compared with the reference group (Good), those who had light or moderate hearing problems were at an increased risk of mortality for all causes (A little trouble-HR: 1.17; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.13 to 1.20; A lot of trouble-HR: 1.45; 95% CI: 1.40-1.51); deaf-HR: 1.54; 95% CI: 1.38-1.73) respectively. In addition, those in the deaf category have the highest risk of death from all causes and cause-specific cancer. More older adults are associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality in American adults.