title: Gallstone is correlated with an increased risk of idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss: a retrospective cohort study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study aims to test the hypothesis that gallstone disease (GSD) is a risk factor for the development of idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSNHL). Research has shown risks of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events in patients with GSD; however, well-conducted English studies on the association between GSD and the development of ISSNHL are lacking.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective cohort study using the Taiwan Longitudinal Health Insurance Database.
  
  
  METHODS
  We compared 26,449 patients diagnosed with GSD between 1 January 2001 and 31 December 2007, with 52,898 age-matched, gender-matched and comorbidities propensity scores-matched controls.
  
  
  METHODS
  We followed each patient until the end of 2011 and evaluated the incidence of ISSNHL for at least 4 years after the initial GSD diagnosis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The incidence of ISSNHL was 1.42 times higher in the GS cohort than in the non-GS cohort (9.27 vs 6.52/10,000 person-years). Using Cox proportional hazard regressions, the adjusted HR was 1.44 (95% CI 1.19 to 1.74). In the cohort of patients with GSD who needed a cholecystectomy, 37 patients suffered from ISSNHL. Among those patients, 31 (83.7%) patients sustained ISSNHL before cholecystectomy and 6 (16.2%) patients sustained ISSNHL after cholecystectomy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A diagnosis of GSD may be an independent risk for ISSNHL. This finding suggests that an underlying vascular and inflammatory mechanism may contribute to the development of ISSNHL. Physicians may want to counsel patients with GSD to seek medical attention if they have hearing impairments, because patients may be at an increased risk of developing ISSNHL.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Chi Mei Medical Center, Tainan and Liouying, Taiwan Department of Electrical Engineering, Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Tainan, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chong-Chi
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Chiu
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Chi Mei Medical Center, Tainan City, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Kuan-Ji
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Research, Chi Mei Medical Center, Tainan City, Taiwan Department of Hospital and Health Care Administration, Chia-Nan University of Pharmacy and Science, Tainan City, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Shih-Feng
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Weng
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Chi Mei Medical Center, Tainan City, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yuan-Ming
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Chi Mei Medical Center, Tainan City, Taiwan Center of General education, Southern Taiwan University of Technology, Tainan City, Taiwan Department of Otolaryngology, School of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yung-Song
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Lin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D042882:Gallstones / Q000150:complications*; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D003639:Hearing Loss, Sudden / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D016555:Matched-Pair Analysis; D008875:Middle Aged; D057216:Propensity Score; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult