Bilateral high-frequency hearing loss is associated with elevated blood pressure and increased hypertension risk in occupational noise exposed workers.

Dan Kuang,Cheng Tu,Yan Yan Yu,Anderson Saranz Zago

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0222135

Dan Kuang, Cheng Tu + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0222135

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Journal: PloS one	Publication Date: Sep 5, 2019
Citations: 22	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: Chengdu Center for Disease Control and Prevention

Abstract

ObjectiveTo investigate the association of bilateral high-frequency hearing loss (BHFHL) with blood pressure and hypertension among occupational noise exposed workers.MethodsOccupational noise exposed workers were enrolled in 2017 from the occupational diseases survey of Chengdu. BHFHL was classified as normal, mild, or high by the bilateral high-frequency tone average. Linear regression model was used to assess the effects of occupational noise exposure time and BHFHL on blood pressure. Logistic regression model was performed to estimate hypertension risk odds ratios (ORs) associated to occupational noise exposure time and BHFHL.ResultsIncreasing years of occupational noise exposure and BHFHL were significantly associated with systolic and diastolic blood pressure increase (all P<0.001). The lineal trend was only significant in males, with adjusted ORs for hypertension gradually increasing with increasing years of occupational noise exposure (P<0.001). Furthermore, subjects having mild and high BHFHL had a higher hypertension risk of 34% and 281%, respectively (both P<0.001). Dose-response relationship between BHFHL and hypertension was found in both males and females.ConclusionsOccupational noise exposure was positively associated with blood pressure levels and hypertension risk.

Highlights

Occupational noise is one of the most common occupational hazards in the workplace worldwide [1], with more than 600 million workers exposed to hazardous noise levels [2]
Increasing years of occupational noise exposure and bilateral high-frequency hearing loss (BHFHL) were significantly associated with systolic and diastolic blood pressure increase
The lineal trend was only significant in males, with adjusted odds ratios (ORs) for hypertension gradually increasing with increasing years of occupational noise exposure (P

Summary

Introduction

Occupational noise is one of the most common occupational hazards in the workplace worldwide [1], with more than 600 million workers exposed to hazardous noise levels [2]. Hearing loss is the primary adverse health effect caused by occupational noise exposure[3]. Hearing loss is a significant occupational health concern in workers exposed to noise[6]. In addition to hearing loss, there are evidences that occupational noise exposure is associated to other health effects, such as sleep disturbances, psychological stress, cardiovascular diseases, and digestive disorders[7,8,9,10]. Chang et al conducted a prospective cohort study of 578 male workers, and they found a significant exposureresponse pattern between the risk of hypertension and the intensity of noise exposure[17]. Stokholm et al performed a 7-year prospective cohort study enrolling 145190 workers, and reported no increased risk of hypertension after noise exposure [15]. The noise intensity in the workplace could not reflect the actual exposure to noise of each person, which might be the main reason for the inconsistent results

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Conclusion