Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease is a Risk Factor for Sensorineural Hearing Loss: A US Population Study.

Objectives: The goal of this study is to determine if chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is associated with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) in a national database.

Study Design: Cross-sectional study.

Setting: National sample of the United States population.

Patients: Adults with audiometric and spirometry data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Study (NHANES) database.

Interventions: None.

Methods: A total of 2,464 adults with spirometry and audiometry data from the NHANES database (2009-2012) were studied. Outcome measures included hearing, measured by high-frequency pure tone average (HFPTA; 3, 4, 6, 8 kHz) and low-frequency pure tone average (LFPTA; .5, 1, 2 kHz) frequencies. SNHL was defined as a HFPTA or LFPTA threshold more than 25 decibels (dB) in the better ear. Multivariable regression analyses explored the association between hearing loss and COPD.

Results: The prevalence of COPD was 19.8% in individuals with SNHL in the better ear and 4.7% in individuals with normal hearing (p < 0.001). Presence of COPD was associated with elevated hearing thresholds (worse hearing) at each individual frequency. The presence of COPD was independently associated with a 3.29 dB (95% CI: 1.48, 5.09) increase in HFPTA (p < 0.001), and 2.32 dB (1.13, 3.50) increase in LFPTA (p < 0.001) after controlling for medical, social, and environmental covariates. The presence of COPD was independently associated with a 1.85-fold (1.12, 3.06) increased odds of isolated low-frequency SNHL (p = 0.017).

Conclusions: COPD was independently associated with sensorineural hearing loss after controlling for multiple confounding factors. These results contribute to the evidence that COPD and pulmonary dysfunction can be comorbid with hearing decline.