Clin Exp Otorhinolaryngol.  2016 Dec;9(4):319-325. 10.21053/ceo.2015.01858.

Association of Bone Mineral Density With Hearing Impairment in Postmenopausal Women in Korea

• Jung DJ
• Cho HH
• Lee KY

• KMID: 2360762
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.21053/ceo.2015.01858

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
Previous studies examining the association between osteoporosis (OP) and hearing loss (HL) have shown conflicting results. The objective of the present study was to examine the association between hearing impairment and OP in postmenopausal women, using appropriate statistical analyses.
METHODS
Total 1,009 participants were included in the current study. The propensity score matched (PSM) cohort was defined as the cohort including participants diagnosed with OP and participants without OP. Three statistical models were developed where model 1 was unadjusted, model 2 included age, and model 3 included age, body mass index, alcohol intake, smoking habit, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, high density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglyceride level, vitamin D, and alkaline phosphatase.
RESULTS
There were 776 and 233 participants in the groups diagnosed without and with OP, respectively. For propensity score matching, 233 pairs were selected from the 776 participants without OP. In the total cohort, using statistical models 2 and 3, no significant difference in the four hearing thresholds was identified between the 2 groups. Logistic regression indicated that, in model 3, participants with OP had a 1.128 (P=0.323) increased risk HL. A significant HL risk was not observed in participants with OP. Using statistical model 3, there were no significant associations among lumbar spine or femoral neck T-scores and changes in the hearing thresholds. In the PSM cohort, statistical models also showed similar results.
CONCLUSION
The current study did not demonstrate and association between bone mineral density and hearing impairment in the study population of postmenopausal Korean women.

Keyword

Hearing; Osteoporosis; Bone Density; Age; Postmenopausal Women

MeSH Terms

Alkaline Phosphatase
Body Mass Index
Bone Density*
Cholesterol, HDL
Cohort Studies
Diabetes Mellitus
Female
Femur Neck
Hearing Loss*
Hearing*
Humans
Hypertension
Korea*
Logistic Models
Models, Statistical
Osteoporosis
Propensity Score
Smoke
Smoking
Spine
Triglycerides
Vitamin D
Alkaline Phosphatase
Cholesterol, HDL
Smoke
Vitamin D

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1. Distribution of propensity score before and after matching. (A) Before matching OP, (B) after matching OP, (C) before matching non-OP, and (D) after matching non-OP. OP, osteoporosis; non-OP, without osteoporosis.

• 

  Fig. 2. Comparison of hearing thresholds between groups without OP and with OP in the propensity score matched cohort. The data are expressed as mean and standard deviation values. OP, osteoporosis; non-OP, without osteoporosis; Freq, frequency; AHT, average hearing threshold.

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