The Correlation of Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Hearing Loss

To investigate the effects of cardiovascular risk factors on hearing loss, hearing threshold and cardiovascular risk factors such as blood pressure, hematologic values, and serum lipid levels of 3,827 persons who visited the Health Center of a University Hospital in Kumi for health examination from January 1, 1995 to July 31, 1997 were analysed. The results were summarized as follows ; 1. Hearing threshold was shifted highly in both sex groups with age increased. Smoking did not influence increase of hearing loss, but drinking alcohol amount increased hearing threshold when sex was adjusted. The most highly increased hearing threshold showed among farmers group, but next was blue collars group. Hearing threshold increasing basis with BMI increased. 2. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure and hematocrit value increased the hearing threshold in both sex groups, but hemoglobin value did not related to the hearing threshold. 3. Total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, triglyceride, and atherosclerosis index were significantly increased with the grade of hearing lose increased, when age was adjusted. 4. In the logistic regression analysis, the atherosclerosis index, age, and hematocrit value revealed risk factors which contributed in that orders, though the values were small they showed statistical significances, but the risks were lowered when hemoglobin values increased, in both sex groups. Consequently, hyperlipidemia was significantly related to the hearing loss when age was adjusted.