Increased long-term risk of hearing loss in patients with traumatic brain injury: A nationwide population-based study.
We investigated incidences of hearing loss among patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) to evaluate whether they had a higher risk of hearing loss than the general population.



Cohort study.



Inpatient data from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database from January 1, 2000 to December 31, 2010 were recorded. Patients with TBI and a retrospective comparison cohort were analyzed. Each subject was individually traced from their index date to identify subjects who subsequently received a diagnosis of hearing loss. Cox regression analyses were applied to determine the risk of TBI-related hearing loss.



Follow-up data from the TBI and comparison cohorts were collected over 10 years for 553,286 and 1,106,572 patients, respectively. Multivariate analyses demonstrated that TBI significantly increased the risk of hearing loss (adjusted hazard ratio = 2.125, 95% confidence interval = 2.045-2.546, P = .027). In our subgroup analyses by type of injury, patients with TBI due to traffic injury had the highest associated risk of hearing loss compared with the risk of non-TBI traffic injury patients, followed by patients with crushing/cutting/piercing injuries and falls.



Our study shows that TBI led to a higher risk of long-term hearing loss. Traffic injuries were the most common injury related to hearing loss. Prevention, rather than treatment, may be the best policy for preventing hearing loss.



2b. Laryngoscope, 127:2627-2635, 2017.
National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan.
Wei-Chuan
WC
Shangkuan
National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan.|Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan.
Hung-Che
0000-0002-0138-1904
HC
Lin
National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan.|Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan.
Cheng-Ping
CP
Shih
National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan.|Department of Neurology, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan.
Chun-An
CA
Cheng
National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan.|Department of Pediatrics, Tungs' Taichung MetroHarbor Hospital, Taichung City, Taiwan.
Hueng-Chuen
HC
Fan
National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan.|School of Public Health, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan.|Department of Medical Research, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan.
Chi-Hsiang
CH
Chung
National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan.|School of Public Health, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan.
Fu-Huang
FH
Lin
National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan.|Department of Microbiology and Immunology, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan.
Chang-Huei
CH
Tsao
National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan.|School of Public Health, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan.|Department of Medical Research, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan.
Wu-Chien
WC
Chien
D000328:Adult; D000070642:Brain Injuries, Traumatic / Q000150:complications*; D003710:Demography; D005260:Female; D034381:Hearing Loss / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology
National Health Insurance Research Database; Traumatic brain injury; hearing loss