Dataset Information

Haemoglobin A1c and hearing impairment: longitudinal analysis using a large occupational health check-up data of Japan.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

The aim of this study was to determine whether haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) level is associated with the incidence of hearing impairment accounting for smoking status and diabetic condition at baseline.

Methods

Participants were 131?689 men and 71?286 women aged 30-65 years and free of hearing impairment at baseline (2008) who attended Japanese occupational annual health check-ups from 2008 to 2015. We defined low-frequency hearing impairment at a hearing threshold >30?dB at 1?kHz and high frequency at >40?dB at 4?kHz in the better ear in pure-tone audiometric tests. HbA1c was categorised into seven categories. The association between HbA1c and hearing impairment was assessed using the Cox proportional hazards model.

Results

On 5 years mean follow-up, high HbA1c was associated with high-frequency hearing impairment. In non-smokers, HbA1c?8.0% was associated with high-frequency hearing impairment, with a multivariable HR (95% CI) compared with HbA1c 5.0%-5.4% of 1.46 (1.10 to 1.94) in men and 2.15 (1.13 to 4.10) in women. There was no significant association between HbA1c and hearing impairment in smokers. A J-shaped association between HbA1c and high-frequency hearing impairment was observed for participants with diabetes at baseline. HbA1c was not associated with low-frequency hearing impairment among any participants.

Conclusions

HbA1c ?8.0% of non-smokers and ?7.3% of participants with diabetes was associated with high-frequency hearing impairment. These findings indicate that appropriate glycaemic control may prevent diabetic-related hearing impairment.

SUBMITTER: Nagahama S

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6144394 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Haemoglobin A1c and hearing impairment: longitudinal analysis using a large occupational health check-up data of Japan.

Nagahama Satsue S Kashino Ikuko I Hu Huanhuan H Nanri Akiko A Kurotani Kayo K Kuwahara Keisuke K Dan Masashi M Michikawa Takehiro T Akter Shamima S Mizoue Tetsuya T Murakami Yoshitaka Y Nishiwaki Yuji Y

BMJ open 20180917 9

<h4>Objectives</h4>The aim of this study was to determine whether haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) level is associated with the incidence of hearing impairment accounting for smoking status and diabetic condition at baseline.<h4>Methods</h4>Participants were 131 689 men and 71 286 women aged 30-65 years and free of hearing impairment at baseline (2008) who attended Japanese occupational annual health check-ups from 2008 to 2015. We defined low-frequency hearing impairment at a hearing threshold >30 dB at ...[more]

PMID: 30224397

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Project description:Importance:Evidence has linked age-related hearing impairment (ARHI) with cognitive decline; however, very few studies (none in the United Kingdom) explore this link in large well-characterized groups of community-dwelling individuals. Objective:To investigate the link between ARHI and cognitive decline using a cohort of elderly individuals from the United Kingdom and explore untreated hearing loss and social isolation as potential explanations for the observed link. Design, Setting, and Participants:This cross-sectional analysis of wave 7 (June 2014 through May 2015) of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) sampled men and women 50 years or older and living in the United Kingdom in a community setting. Those with a diagnosis of dementia, Alzheimer disease, or Parkinson disease or with ear infections and cochlear implants were excluded. Data were analyzed from August 1, 2017, through May 25, 2018. Main Outcomes and Measures:Memory and executive function as measures of cognitive function and hearing acuity derived from the HearCheck screener device (Siemens). Results:Of a cohort of 9666 members in wave 7 of ELSA, 7385 were eligible for analysis after applying exclusion criteria (55.1% women; mean [SD] age, 67.4 [9.4] years). Of these, 3056 (41.4%) had mild hearing loss and 755 (10.2%) had severe hearing loss; 834 (11.3%) used a hearing aid; and 7155 (96.9%) were white. Hearing loss had a negative association with cognition; for those with moderate to severe loss, the score on memory assessment was a full 1 point less (-1.00; 95% CI, -1.24 to -0.76), ceteris paribus, relative to those with no hearing loss. However, this association was seen only in the individuals with untreated hearing loss (ie, those who did not use hearing aids) (-1.16; 95% CI, -1.45 to -0.87). Evidence suggests that social isolation acts as a mediating factor. Conclusions and Relevance:Although hearing loss and cognition are linked, untreated hearing loss drives the association. Social isolation is a mediating factor in the link for those who have untreated hearing loss. Cognitive decline associated with ARHI is probably preventable by early rehabilitation and increased opportunistic screening for the elderly.

Dataset Information

Haemoglobin A1c and hearing impairment: longitudinal analysis using a large occupational health check-up data of Japan.

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Publications

Haemoglobin A1c and hearing impairment: longitudinal analysis using a large occupational health check-up data of Japan.

Similar Datasets

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