title: Association of Bone Mineral Density With Hearing Impairment in Postmenopausal Women in Korea.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Previous studies examining the association between osteoporosis (OP) and hearing loss (HL) have shown conflicting results. The objective of the present study was to examine the association between hearing impairment and OP in postmenopausal women, using appropriate statistical analyses.
  
  
  METHODS
  Total 1,009 participants were included in the current study. The propensity score matched (PSM) cohort was defined as the cohort including participants diagnosed with OP and participants without OP. Three statistical models were developed where model 1 was unadjusted, model 2 included age, and model 3 included age, body mass index, alcohol intake, smoking habit, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, high density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglyceride level, vitamin D, and alkaline phosphatase.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 776 and 233 participants in the groups diagnosed without and with OP, respectively. For propensity score matching, 233 pairs were selected from the 776 participants without OP. In the total cohort, using statistical models 2 and 3, no significant difference in the four hearing thresholds was identified between the 2 groups. Logistic regression indicated that, in model 3, participants with OP had a 1.128 (P=0.323) increased risk HL. A significant HL risk was not observed in participants with OP. Using statistical model 3, there were no significant associations among lumbar spine or femoral neck T-scores and changes in the hearing thresholds. In the PSM cohort, statistical models also showed similar results.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The current study did not demonstrate and association between bone mineral density and hearing impairment in the study population of postmenopausal Korean women.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Kyungpook National University Hospital, Kyungpook National University School of Medicine, Daegu, Korea.
authors.forename: Da Jung
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Kyungpook National University Hospital, Kyungpook National University School of Medicine, Daegu, Korea.
authors.forename: Hyun Ho
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Kyungpook National University Hospital, Kyungpook National University School of Medicine, Daegu, Korea.
authors.forename: Kyu-Yup
authors.initials: KY
authors.lastname: Lee
keywords: Age; Bone Density; Hearing; Osteoporosis; Postmenopausal Women