Hearing impairment among adults: The impact of cardiovascular diseases and cardiovascular risk factors

Objective: To investigate the influence of cardiovascular diseases on hearing impairment (HI) among adults. Furthermore, to seek other potential risk factors for HI, such as smoking, obesity, and socioeconomic class. Design: A cross-sectional, unscreened, population-based, epidemiological study among adults. Study sample: The subjects (n = 850), aged 54-66 years, were randomly sampled from the population register. A questionnaire survey, an otological examination, and pure-tone audiometry were performed. Results: Cardiovascular diseases did not increase the risk for HI in a propensity-score adjusted logistic regression model: OR 1.24, 95% CI 0.79 to 1.96 for HI defined by better ear hearing level (BEHL), and OR 1.48, 95% CI 0.96 to 2.28 for HI defined by worse ear hearing level (WEHL), in the 0.5-4 kHz frequency range. Heavy smoking is a risk factor for HI among men (BEHL: OR 1.96, WEHL: OR 1.88) and women (WEHL: OR 2.4). Among men, obesity (BEHL, OR 1.85) and lower socioeconomic class (BEHL: OR 2.79, WEHL: OR 2.28) are also risk factors for HI. Conclusion: No significant association between cardiovascular disease and HI was found.