Occupational Noise, Smoking, and a High Body Mass Index are Risk Factors for Age-related Hearing Impairment and Moderate Alcohol Consumption is Protective: A European Population-based Multicenter Study

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Abstract

A multicenter study was set up to elucidate the environmental and medical risk factors contributing to age-related hearing impairment (ARHI). Nine subsamples, collected by nine audiological centers across Europe, added up to a total of 4,083 subjects between 53 and 67 years. Audiometric data (pure-tone average [PTA]) were collected and the participants filled out a questionnaire on environmental risk factors and medical history. People with a history of disease that could affect hearing were excluded. PTAs were adjusted for age and sex and tested for association with exposure to risk factors. Noise exposure was associated with a significant loss of hearing at high sound frequencies (>1 kHz). Smoking significantly increased high-frequency hearing loss, and the effect was dose-dependent. The effect of smoking remained significant when accounting for cardiovascular disease events. Taller people had better hearing on average with a more pronounced effect at low sound frequencies (<2 kHz). A high body mass index (BMI) correlated with hearing loss across the frequency range tested. Moderate alcohol consumption was inversely correlated with hearing loss. Significant associations were found in the high as well as in the low frequencies. The results suggest that a healthy lifestyle can protect against age-related hearing impairment.

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Most cited references 29

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Acceleration of age-related hearing loss by early noise exposure: evidence of a misspent youth.

Sharon G Kujawa, M Charles Liberman (2006)

Age-related and noise-induced hearing losses in humans are multifactorial, with contributions from, and potential interactions among, numerous variables that can shape final outcome. A recent retrospective clinical study suggests an age-noise interaction that exacerbates age-related hearing loss in previously noise-damaged ears (Gates et al., 2000). Here, we address the issue in an animal model by comparing noise-induced and age-related hearing loss (NIHL; AHL) in groups of CBA/CaJ mice exposed identically (8-16 kHz noise band at 100 dB sound pressure level for 2 h) but at different ages (4-124 weeks) and held with unexposed cohorts for different postexposure times (2-96 weeks). When evaluated 2 weeks after exposure, maximum threshold shifts in young-exposed animals (4-8 weeks) were 40-50 dB; older-exposed animals (> or =16 weeks) showed essentially no shift at the same postexposure time. However, when held for long postexposure times, animals with previous exposure demonstrated AHL and histopathology fundamentally unlike unexposed, aging animals or old-exposed animals held for 2 weeks only. Specifically, they showed substantial, ongoing deterioration of cochlear neural responses, without additional change in preneural responses, and corresponding histologic evidence of primary neural degeneration throughout the cochlea. This was true particularly for young-exposed animals; however, delayed neuropathy was observed in all noise-exposed animals held 96 weeks after exposure, even those that showed no NIHL 2 weeks after exposure. Data suggest that pathologic but sublethal changes initiated by early noise exposure render the inner ears significantly more vulnerable to aging.

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Cigarette smoking and hearing loss: the epidemiology of hearing loss study.

K Cruickshanks, R. Klein, B Klein … (1998)

Clinical studies have suggested that cigarette smoking may be associated with hearing loss, a common condition affecting older adults. To evaluate the association between smoking and hearing loss. Population-based, cross-sectional study. Community of Beaver Dam, Wis. Adults aged 48 to 92 years. Of 4541 eligible subjects, 3753 (83%) participated in the hearing study. The examination included otoscopy, screening tympanometry, and pure-tone air-conduction and bone-conduction audiometry. Smoking history was ascertained by self-report. Hearing loss was defined as a pure-tone average (0.5, 1, 2, and 4 kHz) greater than 25-dB hearing level in the worse ear. After adjusting for other factors, current smokers were 1.69 times as likely to have a hearing loss as nonsmokers (95% confidence interval, 1.31-2.17). This relationship remained for those without a history of occupational noise exposure and in analyses excluding those with non-age-related hearing loss. There was weak evidence of a dose-response effect. Nonsmoking participants who lived with a smoker were more likely to have a hearing loss than those who were not exposed to a household member who smoked (odds ratio, 1.94; 95% confidence interval, 1.01-3.74). These data suggest that environmental exposures may play a role in age-related hearing loss. If longitudinal studies confirm these findings, modification of smoking habits may prevent or delay age-related declines in hearing sensitivity.

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Longitudinal study of pure-tone thresholds in older persons.

J. Matthews, Jiahn-Shing Lee, Judy Dubno … (2005)

Pure-tone thresholds for conventional and extended high frequencies were analyzed for 188 older adult human subjects (91 females, 97 males). The objectives were to study longitudinal changes in thresholds as well as the effects of initial threshold levels, age, gender, and noise history on these longitudinal changes. At the time of entry into the study, subjects' ages ranged from 60 to 81 years, with a mean age of 68 years. Subjects had between 2 and 21 visits (mean = 9.81 visits) over a period of 3 to 11.5 years (mean = 6.40 years). Conventional pure-tone thresholds at 0.25 to 8 kHz were measured during most visits. Extended high-frequency (EHF) thresholds at 9 to 18 kHz were measured every 2 to 3 years. The slope of a linear regression was used to estimate the rate of change in pure-tone thresholds at 0.25 to 18 kHz for each ear. A questionnaire was used to identify those subjects with a positive noise history. The average rate of change in thresholds was 0.7 dB per year at 0.25 kHz, increasing gradually to 1.2 dB per year at 8 kHz and 1.23 dB per year at 12 kHz. The rate of change for thresholds increased significantly with age, at 0.25 to 3, 10, and 11 kHz for females and at 6 kHz for males. After adjusting for age, females had a significantly slower rate of change at 1 kHz but a significantly faster rate of change at 6 to 12 kHz than males. For 0.25 and 1 kHz, subjects with more hearing loss at higher frequencies had a faster rate of change at these frequencies, whereas for 6 and 8 kHz, subjects with more hearing loss at mid and high frequencies had a slower rate of change at these frequencies. The rates of threshold change for subjects with a positive noise history were not statistically different from those with a negative noise history. On average, hearing threshold increased approximately 1 dB per year for subjects age 60 and over. Age, gender, and initial threshold levels can affect the rate of change in thresholds. Older female subjects (> or =70 years) had faster rate of change at 0.25 to 3, 10, and 11 kHz than younger female subjects (60 to 69 years). Older male subjects had faster rate of change at 6 kHz than younger male subjects. Females had a slower rate of change at 1 kHz and a faster rate of change at 6 to 12 kHz than males. Subjects with higher initial thresholds at low and mid frequencies tended to have faster rate of threshold change at 0.25 to 2 kHz in the following years. Subjects with higher initial thresholds at mid and higher frequencies tended to have slower rate of change at 6 to 8 kHz in the following years. Noise history did not have a significant effect on the rate of threshold changes.

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Author and article information

Contributors

: guy.vancamp@ua.ac.be

Journal

Journal ID (nlm-ta): J Assoc Res Otolaryngol

Title: JARO: Journal of the Association for Research in Otolaryngology

Publisher: Springer-Verlag (New York )

ISSN (Print): 1525-3961

ISSN (Electronic): 1438-7573

Publication date (Electronic): 10 June 2008

Publication date (Print): September 2008

Volume: 9

Issue: 3

Pages: 264-276

Affiliations

[1 ]Department of Medical Genetics, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein, 2610 Antwerp, Belgium

[2 ]Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University Hospital of Antwerp, 2650 Antwerp, Belgium

[3 ]Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University of Oulu, 90014 Oulu, Finland

[4 ]Department of Otorhinolaryngology, St. Radboud University Medical Center, 6500 HB Nijmegen, The Netherlands

[5 ]Department of Audiology, Bispebjerg Hospital, 2400 NV Copenhagen, Denmark

[6 ]Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University of Tübingen, 72074 Tübingen, Germany

[7 ]Department of Oto-Surgery, University Hospital Padova, 35128 Padova, Italy

[8 ]College of Medicine, Cardiff University, CF14 4XW Cardiff, UK

[9 ]Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University Hospital of Ghent, 9000 Ghent, Belgium

[10 ]Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University of Tampere, 33014 Tampere, Finland

[11 ]Institute of Medical Biometry, Informatics and Epidemiology, University of Bonn, 53105 Bonn, Germany

Article

Publisher ID: 123

DOI: 10.1007/s10162-008-0123-1

PMC ID: 2492985

PubMed ID: 18543032

SO-VID: acf01ecb-835f-4fd0-84fb-168cc44e8bde

History

Date received : 4 December 2007

Date accepted : 21 April 2008

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ScienceOpen disciplines: Otolaryngology

Keywords: occupational noise,age-related hearing impairment,risk factors,smoking,presbyacusis

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ScienceOpen disciplines: Otolaryngology

Keywords: occupational noise, age-related hearing impairment, risk factors, smoking, presbyacusis

Occupational Noise, Smoking, and a High Body Mass Index are Risk Factors for Age-related Hearing Impairment and Moderate Alcohol Consumption is Protective: A European Population-based Multicenter Study

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Most cited references 29

Acceleration of age-related hearing loss by early noise exposure: evidence of a misspent youth.

Cigarette smoking and hearing loss: the epidemiology of hearing loss study.

Longitudinal study of pure-tone thresholds in older persons.

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