Prospective study of alcohol use and hearing loss in men.
OBJECTIVE
Hearing loss is a common and disabling sensory disorder, yet prospective data on potentially modifiable risk factors are limited. Previous studies suggest that alcohol consumption may influence the development of hearing loss, yet results have been inconsistent. The purpose of this study was to prospectively examine the relation between alcohol use and hearing loss in men.


METHODS
We examined prospectively the independent association between alcohol intake and self-reported professionally diagnosed hearing loss in 26,809 men aged 40 to 74 yrs at baseline in 1986. Study participants completed detailed questionnaires at baseline and every 2 yrs thereafter. Incident cases of hearing loss were defined as those professionally diagnosed after 1986. Cox proportional hazards multivariate regression was used to adjust for potential confounding factors.


RESULTS
During 386,081 person-years of follow-up, 3447 incident cases of hearing loss were reported. Overall, there was no association between level of alcohol intake and risk of hearing loss. Compared with those who did not consume alcohol, the multivariate-adjusted hazard ratios (95% confidence interval) were 1.00 (0.89 to 1.12) for those who consumed 5.0 to 9.9 g/day, 1.08 (0.96 to 1.21) for 10.0 to 14.9 g/day, and 0.98 (0.85 to 1.13) for 30.0 to 49.9 g/day. The results did not differ by age group or folate intake. Among those with lower intake of vitamin B12, however, higher consumption of alcohol, specifically liquor, was associated with an increased risk of hearing loss.


CONCLUSIONS
Our data suggest that low or moderate alcohol consumption does not influence the risk of hearing loss in older men. A possible relation between vitamin B12 intake, alcohol consumption, and hearing loss merits further investigation.
Curhan
Sharon G
SG
Channing Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. scurhan@partners.org
Eavey
Roland
R
Shargorodsky
Josef
J
Curhan
Gary C
GC
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000453:epidemiology; D000434:Alcoholic Beverages / Q000633:toxicity*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011159:Population Surveillance; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D014806:Vitamin B 12 Deficiency / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology
Lancet. 2005 Sep 24-30;366(9491):1111-20
16182900
Am J Otolaryngol. 1993 Mar-Apr;14(2):94-9
8484483
JAMA. 1989 Apr 7;261(13):1916-9
2926927
Ciba Found Symp. 1981;85:151-71
7035098
BMJ. 1999 Dec 11;319(7224):1523-8
10591709
Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2010 Feb;142(2):231-6
20115980
Public Health. 2001 May;115(3):192-6
11429714
Audiology. 1998 Sep-Oct;37(5):295-301
9776206
Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1999 Nov 28;884:226-32
10842596
Epidemiol Rev. 1993;15(2):328-51
8174661
J Am Acad Audiol. 1996 Jun;7(3):152-60
8780987
BMJ. 2005 Oct 8;331(7520):807
16087654
J Am Geriatr Soc. 2000 Oct;48(10):1273-8
11037015
Dig Dis. 2007;25(2):144-50
17468550
Arch Intern Med. 2008 Jul 28;168(14):1522-30
18663164
Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 1996 Feb;122(2):161-7
8630210
Prev Med. 2006 Nov;43(5):416-21
16876854
Ann Intern Med. 2007 Jan 2;146(1):1-9
17200216
Am J Clin Nutr. 1999 Mar;69(3):564-71
10075346
Occup Environ Med. 2009 May;66(5):319-24
19174422
J Assoc Res Otolaryngol. 2008 Sep;9(3):264-76; discussion 261-3
18543032
Am J Epidemiol. 1991 Apr 15;133(8):810-7
2021148
J Natl Cancer Inst. 2000 Feb 2;92(3):266-9
10655445
Am J Med. 2010 Mar;123(3):231-7
20193831
J Nutr. 2002 Aug;132(8 Suppl):2367S-2372S
12163694
Gerontologist. 2003 Oct;43(5):661-8
14570962
Curr Atheroscler Rep. 2008 Dec;10(6):536-43
18937903
Lancet. 2004 Apr 17;363(9417):1277-81
15094272
Acta Otolaryngol. 2005 Dec;125(12):1290-5
16303676
Int J Epidemiol. 2001 Dec;30(6):1371-8
11821349
Epidemiology. 1990 Nov;1(6):466-73
2090285
Hear Res. 1996 Apr;93(1-2):181-7
8735078
Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2003 Oct;129(10):1041-6
14568784
Ann Intern Med. 2008 Jul 1;149(1):1-10
18559825
JAMA. 1999 May 5;281(17):1632-7
10235158
J Am Geriatr Soc. 2005 Dec;53(12):2119-27
16398896
Epidemiology. 2001 Jul;12(4):420-8
11416780
J Natl Cancer Inst. 1995 Feb 15;87(4):265-73
7707417
Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 1993 Feb;119(2):156-61
8427676
Hear Res. 2000 Mar;141(1-2):220-8
10713509
Am J Epidemiol. 1992 May 15;135(10):1114-26; discussion 1127-36
1632423
Epidemiology. 1996 Jan;7(1):81-6
8664406
Laryngoscope. 2000 May;110(5 Pt 1):727-38
10807352
J Rehabil Res Dev. 2005 Jul-Aug;42(4 Suppl 2):9-24
16470462
Am J Public Health. 1993 Jun;83(6):811-6
8498617
Braz J Otorhinolaryngol. 2005 Mar-Apr;71(2):193-200
16446917
Audiology. 1993 Jul-Aug;32(4):234-43
8343080
Arch Intern Med. 2006 Oct 23;166(19):2145-50
17060546
Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 1991;248(6):353-7
1930985
J Am Diet Assoc. 1993 Jul;93(7):790-6
8320406
J Neurosci. 2006 Feb 15;26(7):2115-23
16481444
Am J Hematol. 1990 Jun;34(2):121-7
1692663
Ear Hear. 1990 Aug;11(4):247-56
2210098
Vital Health Stat 10. 2007 Dec;(235):1-153
18361164