| Title: | Cigarette Smoking, Passive Smoking, Alcohol Consumption, and Hearing Loss |
| Journal: | Journal of the Association for Research in Otolaryngology |
| Published: | 28 May 2014 |
| Pubmed: | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24899378/ |
| DOI: | https://doi.org/10.1007/s10162-014-0461-0 |
| URL: | https://europepmc.org/articles/pmc4141428?pdf=render |
Publication 4490
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Abstract
The objective of this large population-based cross-sectional study was to evaluate the association between smoking, passive smoking, alcohol consumption, and hearing loss. The study sample was a subset of the UK Biobank Resource, 164,770 adults aged between 40 and 69 years who completed a speech-in-noise hearing test (the Digit Triplet Test). Hearing loss was defined as speech recognition in noise in the better ear poorer than 2 standard deviations below the mean with reference to young normally hearing listeners. In multiple logistic regression controlling for potential confounders, current smokers were more likely to have a hearing loss than non-smokers (odds ratio (OR) 1.15, 95 % confidence interval (CI) 1.09-1.21). Among non-smokers, those who reported passive exposure to tobacco smoke were more likely to have a hearing loss (OR 1.28, 95 %CI 1.21-1.35). For both smoking and passive smoking, there was evidence of a dose-response effect. Those who consume alcohol were less likely to have a hearing loss than lifetime teetotalers. The association was similar across three levels of consumption by volume of alcohol (lightest 25 %, OR 0.61, 95 %CI 0.57-0.65; middle 50 % OR 0.62, 95 %CI 0.58-0.66; heaviest 25 % OR 0.65, 95 %CI 0.61-0.70). The results suggest that lifestyle factors may moderate the risk of hearing loss. Alcohol consumption was associated with a protective effect. Quitting or reducing smoking and avoiding passive exposure to tobacco smoke may also help prevent or moderate age-related hearing loss.</p>
7 Authors
- Piers Dawes
- Karen J. Cruickshanks
- David R. Moore
- Mark Edmondson-Jones
- Abby McCormack
- Heather Fortnum
- Kevin J. Munro
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