Clin Exp Otorhinolaryngol.  2016 Sep;9(3):212-219. 10.21053/ceo.2015.01368.

Disability of Hearing Impairment Is Positively Associated With Urine Albumin/Creatinine Ratio in Korean Adults: The 2011–2012 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

• Kim YS
• Lee DH
• Chae HS
• Lee TK
• Sohn TS
• Jeong SC
• Kim HY
• Lee JI
• Song JY
• Yeo CD
• Lee YB
• Ahn HS
• Hong M
• Han K

• KMID: 2353618
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.21053/ceo.2015.01368

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
The aim of this study was to determine whether chronic kidney disease (CKD) is associated with hearing thresholds in the nationwide, large-scaled Korean population.
METHODS
This study analyzed the data of 9,798 subjects of 19 years and older (4,387 males and 5,411 females). Urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (ACR) was measured from first-voided spot urine samples. The air-conduction hearing threshold was measured at 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6 kHz and pure tone audiogram (PTA) average was calculated as the four-frequency average of 0.5, 1, 2, and 4 kHz.
RESULTS
Urine ACR was significantly correlated with the PTA average of better ear in both genders, especially at 3 and 6 kHz in males and at 1, 3, 4, and 6 kHz in females. After adjusting, urine ACR also increased the risk of hearing loss in female, especially if urine ACR was 30 mg/g and more (odds ratio, 1.636-2.229. This study showed that the degree of hearing loss was significantly different according to categories of urine ACR in both genders. Hearing loss without disability was found less but that with bilateral hearing disability was found more as urine ACR increased. In generally, prevalence of hearing loss with disability was higher in males than females.
CONCLUSION
This study demonstrated that urine ACR was significantly correlated with the PTA average of better ear in Korean adults of both genders. This study suggests that clinicians should carefully monitor the hearing level for subjects with elevated urine ACR, even though high urine ACR within the normal range.

Keyword

Hearing Loss; Albuminuria; Epidemiologic Studies; Adult; Korea

MeSH Terms

Adult*
Albuminuria
Ear
Epidemiologic Studies
Female
Hearing Loss*
Hearing*
Humans
Korea*
Male
Nutrition Surveys*
Prevalence
Reference Values
Renal Insufficiency, Chronic

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1. Relationships between the categories of urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (ACR) and prevalence of hearing loss according to gender. The degree of hearing loss was significantly different according to categories of urine ACR in males and females subgroups (P<0.0001 in both subgroups).

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