Increased incidence of age-related macular degeneration in sensorineural hearing loss: Apopulation-based cohort study.

Chia-Yi Lee,Hung-Chi Chen,Jessie Chao-Yun Chi,Hung-Yu Lin,Pei-Hsuan Wu,Chi-Chin Sun,Jing-Yang Huang,Shun-Fa Yang,Alfred S Lewin

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0222919

Abstract

BackgroundTo evaluate the incidence of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in patients diagnosed with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) via the application of the National Health Insurance Research Database in Taiwan.Methodology/Principal findingsA retrospective cohort study was conducted. Patients with a diagnosis of SNHL was enrolled in the study group after exclusion and a propensity score matched group without SNHL was served as the control group with a 1:2 ratio. The main outcome was regarded as the emergence of AMD diagnostic codes. Cox proportional hazard regression was applied to analyze the incidence and adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) of AMD in the multivariate model. A total of 15,686 patients with SNHL were included in the study group while another 31,372 non-SNHL patients served as the control group. After a follow-up interval up to 16 years, there were 484 AMD events occurred in the study group and 660 AMD cases in those non-SNHL patients with a significantly higher aHR compared to the control group after adjusting for multiple potential risk factors (aHR: 1.399, 95% CI: 1.244–1.574). Other prominent risk factors for AMD included older age, ischemic heart disease, hyperlipidemia, Alzheimer's disease, liver disease and kidney disease. Besides, a higher cumulative probability of AMD was observed in the study group (log-rank P <0.0001).ConclusionThe patients with SNHL demonstrated a higher incidence of developing AMD.

Highlights

Sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) is the hearing impairment causing by damage of cochlear, labyrinth and central nervous system.[1, 2] Concerning the epidemiology, the SNHL affect the majority of population for which the prevalence of age-related SNHL up to 60 percent in the elderly aged more than 65 years.[3]
To evaluate the incidence of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in patients diagnosed with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) via the application of the National Health Insurance Research Database in Taiwan
After a follow-up interval up to 16 years, there were 484 AMD events occurred in the study group and 660 AMD cases in those non-SNHL patients with a significantly higher adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) compared to the control group after adjusting for multiple potential risk factors

Summary

Introduction

Sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) is the hearing impairment causing by damage of cochlear, labyrinth and central nervous system.[1, 2] Concerning the epidemiology, the SNHL affect the majority of population for which the prevalence of age-related SNHL up to 60 percent in the elderly aged more than 65 years.[3] About the etiology of SNHL, various etiologies including noise-related, infectious, autoimmune ear disease, drug toxicity and vascular lesions can lead to SNHL.[2, 4] In addition, central nervous system disease such as multiple sclerosis can induce the development of SNHL.[5]. To evaluate the incidence of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in patients diagnosed with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) via the application of the National Health Insurance Research Database in Taiwan.

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Results

Conclusion