title: Risk Factors for Hearing Impairment among Adults with Diabetes: The Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL).
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim was to examine risk factors for hearing impairment among Hispanic/Latino adults with diabetes.
  
  
  METHODS
  Findings are based on 3384 participants aged 18-76 years with diagnosed or previously undetected diabetes who completed audiometric testing as part of the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos. We defined hearing impairment as the pure-tone average (PTA) >25 decibels hearing level [dB HL] of pure-tone thresholds at high frequencies (3000, 4000, 6000, and 8000 Hz) in the worse ear and defined a second hearing impairment outcome with the additional requirement of PTA >25 dB HL of low/mid-frequency (500, 1000, and 2000 Hz) thresholds in the worse ear. We identified independent associations using logistic regression.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Controlling for age and Hispanic/Latino background, prevalence ratios for hearing impairment in the high plus low/mid frequencies were 1.35 (95% CI 1.07, 1.71) for current smoking, 1.64 (1.14, 2.38) for alcohol consumption (≥ 14 drinks/week for men or ≥ 7 drinks/week for women), and 1.29 (1.06, 1.56) for triglycerides ≥ 150 mg/dL. For high-frequency only hearing impairment, the prevalence ratio for estimated glomerular filtration rate 30-59 mL/min/1.73m2was 1.23 (1.03, 1.47) adjusted for age and sex. People with family income less than $20,000 had almost twice the prevalence of hearing impairment (PR=1.93 (1.34, 2.78)) as people with income over $40,000.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Current smoking, alcohol consumption, high triglycerides, and chronic kidney disease are potentially preventable correlates of hearing impairment for persons with diabetes. Low income is a marker of increased likelihood of hearing impairment.
authors.affiliation: National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, NIH.
authors.forename: Kathleen E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Bainbridge
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, NIH.
authors.forename: Catherine C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Cowie
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
authors.forename: Franklyn
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gonzalez
authors.affiliation: National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, NIH.
authors.forename: Howard J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Hoffman
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Dinces
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
authors.forename: Jeremiah
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Stamler
authors.affiliation: Department of Population Health Sciences, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health ; Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.
authors.forename: Karen J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Cruickshanks
keywords: cardiovascular disease; diabetes; diabetic complications; glycemic control; hearing impairment