Premium
A population‐based study of the association between dysglycaemia and hearing loss in middle age
Author(s) -
Sommer J.,
BrenannJones C. G.,
Eikelboom R. H.,
Hunter M.,
Davis W. A.,
Atlas M. D.,
Davis T. M. E.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
diabetic medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.474
H-Index - 145
eISSN - 1464-5491
pISSN - 0742-3071
DOI - 10.1111/dme.13320
Subject(s) - medicine , prediabetes , hearing loss , presbycusis , audiology , diabetes mellitus , population , cross sectional study , demography , type 2 diabetes , endocrinology , environmental health , pathology , sociology
Aims To investigate the independent associations between hearing loss and dysglycaemia in a sample of middle‐aged adults, including separate analysis of those aged < 60 years. Methods The first 2023 participants in the cross‐sectional Busselton Health Ageing Survey were assessed for hearing loss ≥ 26 dB (better ear) for four‐frequency average (4 FA ) of pure‐tone thresholds at 500, 1000, 2000 and 4000 Hz, and high‐frequency average ( HFA ) of pure‐tone thresholds at 4000 and 8000 Hz. Results Valid data from 1864 participants in the Busselton Health Ageing Survey [92.1%; mean ± sd age 56.2 ± 5.5 years, 46.0% men, 120 (7.0%) with diabetes, 274 (14.7%) with prediabetes] were analysed, of whom 103 (5.5%) had four‐frequency average hearing loss and 561 (30.1%) had high‐frequency average hearing loss. In multivariable analyses, glycaemic status was not independently associated with four‐frequency or high‐frequency average hearing loss. In the 1286 participants aged < 60 years, there was no relationship between dysglycaemia and high‐frequency average hearing loss, but the prevalence of four‐frequency average hearing loss increased from 2.3% (95% CI 1.5–3.4) in participants with normoglycaemia to 5.7% (95% CI 3.0–10.6) in those with prediabetes and 10.2% (4.2–21.5) in those with diabetes (trend P = 0.003). In multivariable analysis with normoglycaemia as reference, the odds ratios for four‐frequency average hearing loss were 2.84 (95% CI 1.29–6.27) for prediabetes and 5.93 (95% CI 1.67–21.05) for diabetes ( P ≤ 0.01) in the < 60 year age group. Conclusions There was progressively increasing mid‐range hearing loss with worsening glucose tolerance in younger individuals, suggesting dysglycaemia‐associated early‐onset presbycusis.