Association of metabolic syndrome and its components with hearing loss in low-income women: A population-based cross-sectional study

Background: Hearing loss (HL) is globally prevalent among older adults and a common disability cause. Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a complex disorder characterized by high blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess fat around the waist, and abnormal cholesterol or triglyceride levels. Few studies have examined the association between MetS and HL in women. This study investigated the association between HL and metabolic disease among lowincome population women in China. Methods: This population-based cross-sectional study was conducted between September and November 2013. All participants completed questionnaires, physical examinations, laboratory examinations, and hearing tests. HL was measured using pure-tone audiometry, and audiologists determined the final diagnoses. Results: A total of 1448 women were enrolled, including 781 (53.9 %) with demonstrated HL and 804 (55.5 %) with MetS. Elevated blood pressure (BP) and fasting blood glucose (FBG) levels were independent risk factors for pure-tone averages (PTAs) in the high pure tone audiometry (high-PTA) group, after adjusting for education level, smoking and drinking status, body mass index group, and low high-density lipopolysaccharide cholesterol levels (all, P < 0.05); PTAs increased by 2.11 dB HL of hearing level in patients with elevated BP compared with normal BP (95 % confidence interval [CI], 0.22-4.01; P = 0.029); PTAs increased by 1.64 dB HL of hearing level (95 % CI, 0.12-3.15; P = 0.034) in patients with elevated FBG levels compared with normal FBG levels. Conclusion: These results indicate that hypertension and hyperglycemia are influencing factors for HL, and strengthening the management of blood glucose and blood pressure in community populations can reduce the burden of HL.