title: Increased risk of sudden sensorineural hearing loss in patients with human immunodeficiency virus aged 18 to 35 years: a population-based cohort study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  No case series or cohort studies to date in the English literature have evaluated sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSHL) in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the risk of developing SSHL in patients with HIV.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective cohort population-based study using data from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database.
  
  
  METHODS
  In total, 8760 patients with HIV and 43,800 control subjects without HIV were selected from insurance claims between January 1, 2001, and December 31, 2006.
  
  
  METHODS
  The incidence of SSHL was assessed and determined at the end of 2009.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among patients aged 18 to 35 years, the incidence of SSHL was 2.17-fold higher in the HIV group than in the control group (4.32 vs 1.99 per 10,000 person-years, P = .03). The risk of developing SSHL increased with HIV infection; an adjusted hazard ratio of 2.169 (95% CI, 1.071-4.391) was calculated using a Cox proportional hazards regression model. Among male patients, the incidence of developing SSHL was 2.23-fold higher (95% CI, 1.06-4.69) in the HIV group than in the control group. The incidence of SSHL did not differ significantly between the HIV group and the control group for patients 36 years or older.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Human immunodeficiency virus infection is significantly associated with an increased risk of developing SSHL in patients aged 18 to 35 years, particularly among male patients.
authors: Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, USA.
authors: Charlene
authors: C
authors: Lin
authors: Shih-Wei
authors: SW
authors: Lin
authors: Shih-Feng
authors: SF
authors: Weng
authors: Yung-Song
authors: YS
authors: Lin
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D003639:Hearing Loss, Sudden / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D057216:Propensity Score; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012306:Risk; D015996:Survival Rate; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology