Association of plasma lead, cadmium, and selenium levels with hearing loss in adults: NHANES 2011-2012

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-24
Author(s):  
Yaqin Tu ◽  
Guorun Fan ◽  
Nan Wu ◽  
Hao Wu ◽  
Hongjun Xiao

Abstract To determine the association between hearing loss and environmental lead, cadmium, and selenium exposure, a total of 1503 American adults from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) (2011∼2012) were assessed. The average of 4 audiometric frequencies (0.5, 1, 2, and 4 kHz) was used to identify speech-frequency hearing loss (SFHL), while the average of 3 audiometric frequencies (3, 4, and 6 kHz) was used to identify high-frequency hearing loss (HFHL). HFHL adjusted Odds ratios (ORs) determined by comparing the highest and lowest blood lead and cadmium quartiles were 1.98 (95%CI: 1.27, 3.10) and 1.81 (95%CI: 1.13, 2.90), respectively. SFHL was significant associated with blood cadmium with the OR = 2.42 for the highest quartile. When further stratified by age, this association appeared to be limited to adults aged 35-52 years. After stratified by gender, except for lead and cadmium, we observed that blood selenium showed a dose-dependent association with SFHL in men. In women, only cadmium showed a dose-dependent association with speech and high frequency hearing loss. Hearing loss was positively associated with blood levels of lead and cadmium. Additionally, our study provided novel evidence suggesting that excessive selenium supplement would increase SFHL risk in men.

Author(s):  
Po-Ting Lin ◽  
I-Hsun Li ◽  
Hui-Wen Yang ◽  
Kuan-Wei Chiang ◽  
Chih-Hung Wang ◽  
...  

The use of illegal drugs may be a risk factor of hearing loss. However, very few studies with large sample size have investigated the relationship between illegal drug use and hearing loss. Therefore, to evaluate the association between illegal drug use and hearing loss, this cross-sectional population-based study collected data from the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2011. The study included 1772 participants aged 20 to 59 years who underwent the Drug Use Questionnaire and Audiometry Examination. Of the 1772 participants in this study, 865 were men (48.8%) and 497 were illegal drug users. The mean (SD) age of the patients was 40.0 (11.4) years. After considering age, sex, and comorbidities, the participants who used illegal drugs were found to have higher risks of high-frequency hearing loss (adjusted odds ratio (OR), 1.69; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.35–2.10) and overall hearing loss (adjusted OR, 1.69; 95% CI, 1.36–2.12) as compared with the nonusers. In the second analysis, the participants who used ≥ 2 types of illegal drugs were associated with higher risks of high-frequency hearing loss (adjusted OR, 1.57; 95% CI, 1.06–2.32) and overall hearing loss (adjusted OR, 1.60; 95% CI, 1.08–2.37). In the third analysis, cocaine use was associated with increased risks of high-frequency hearing loss (adjusted OR, 1.34; 95% CI, 1.01–1.77) and overall hearing loss (adjusted OR, 1.38; 95% CI, 1.04–1.82). The adjusted OR for overall hearing loss in the methamphetamine users was 1.54 (95% CI, 1.05–2.27) as compared with that in the nonusers. This study shows that illegal drug users might have a higher risk of overall hearing loss than nonusers. In addition, the analysis results demonstrated that the more kinds of illegal drugs used, the higher the risk of hearing loss. Further experimental and longitudinal research studies are required to confirm the causal relationship between illegal drug use and hearing loss.


Author(s):  
Jaeouk Ahn ◽  
Nam-Soo Kim ◽  
Byung-Kook Lee ◽  
Jungsun Park ◽  
Yangho Kim

We evaluated the association of blood pressure with blood levels of cadmium, lead, and cadmium and lead together (cadmium+lead) in a representative sample of adolescents from Korea by use of 2010-2016 data from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES). This cross-sectional study enrolled adolescents aged at 10-18 years-old who completed a health examination survey and had blood measurements of lead and cadmium. The association of adjusted mean differences in diastolic and systolic blood pressure with doubling of blood lead and cadmium were estimated by regression of blood pressure against log2-transformed blood metals and their quartiles after covariate adjustment. Adjusted odds ratios for prehypertension were calculated for log2-transformed blood levels of lead and cadmium and their quartiles. Our analysis of adolescents in Korea indicated that blood levels of lead and cadmium were not significantly associated with increased blood pressure or risk of pre-hypertension. However, the cadmium+lead level was associated with pre-hypertension. Previous studies showed that blood levels of lead and cadmium were associated with increased blood pressure and risk of hypertension in adult populations. We found no such effect in Korean adolescents, although the cadmium+lead level was associated with prehypertension. These differences may be because adolescents generally have lower levels of these blood metals or because adolescents only rarely have hypertension.


1968 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 204-218 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Dodds ◽  
Earl Harford

Persons with a high frequency hearing loss are difficult cases for whom to find suitable amplification. We have experienced some success with this problem in our Hearing Clinics using a specially designed earmold with a hearing aid. Thirty-five cases with high frequency hearing losses were selected from our clinical files for analysis of test results using standard, vented, and open earpieces. A statistical analysis of test results revealed that PB scores in sound field, using an average conversational intensity level (70 dB SPL), were enhanced when utilizing any one of the three earmolds. This result was due undoubtedly to increased sensitivity provided by the hearing aid. Only the open earmold used with a CROS hearing aid resulted in a significant improvement in discrimination when compared with the group’s unaided PB score under earphones or when comparing inter-earmold scores. These findings suggest that the inclusion of the open earmold with a CROS aid in the audiologist’s armamentarium should increase his flexibility in selecting hearing aids for persons with a high frequency hearing loss.


Author(s):  
Wei Gong ◽  
Liangliang Zhao ◽  
Ling Li ◽  
Thais C. Morata ◽  
Wei Qiu ◽  
...  

A survey was administered to 385 noise-exposed workers from an auto parts factory and 1268 non-noise-exposed health department employees in China. Individual 8 h A-weighted equivalent sound levels (LAeq,8h), earplug personal attenuation ratings (PARs), and pure-tone audiometric tests were performed. The average LAeq,8h of noise-exposed workers was 87 dB (A) with a mean PAR of 7 dB. The prevalence of high-frequency hearing loss was 65% for noise-exposed workers and 33% for the non-noise-exposed employees. The use of earplugs had no observable effect on the prevalence of high-frequency hearing loss of the study participants (OR 0.964, 95% CI 0.925–1.005, p = 0.085). No significant relationship between the effectiveness offered by earplug use and high-frequency hearing thresholds at 3, 4, and 6 kHz was found (t = −1.54, p = 0.125). The mandatory requirement of earplug use without individualized training on how to wear HPDs correctly had no detectable effect on the prevention of hearing loss at the auto parts factory. The hearing conservation program at the surveyed factory was not effective. Periodic hearing tests, earplug fit testing, expanding the offer of different types of hearing protection, and employee education about the importance of protecting their hearing were recommended to the occupational health and safety program.


1998 ◽  
Vol 79 (5) ◽  
pp. 2603-2614 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie Carlson ◽  
James F. Willott

Carlson, Stephanie and James F. Willott. Caudal pontine reticular formation of C57BL/6J mice: responses to startle stimuli, inhibition by tones, and plasticity. J. Neurophysiol. 79: 2603–2614, 1998. C57BL/6J (C57) mice were used to examine relationships between the behavioral acoustic startle response (ASR) and the responses of neurons in the caudal pontine reticular formation (PnC) in three contexts: 1) responses evoked by basic startle stimuli; 2) the prepulse inhibition (PPI) paradigm; and 3) the effects of high-frequency hearing loss and concomitant neural plasticity that occurs in middle-aged C57 mice. 1) Responses (evoked action potentials) of PnC neurons closely paralleled the ASR with respect to latency, threshold, and responses to rapidly presented stimuli. 2) “Neural PPI” (inhibition of responses evoked by a startle stimulus when preceded by a tone prepulse) was observed in all PnC neurons studied. 3) In PnC neurons of 6-mo-old mice with high-frequency (>20 kHz) hearing loss, neural PPI was enhanced with 12- and 4-kHz prepulses, as it is behaviorally. These are frequencies that have become “overrepresented” in the central auditory system of 6-mo-old C57 mice. Thus neural plasticity in the auditory system, induced by high-frequency hearing loss, is correlated with increased salience of the inhibiting tones in both behavioral and neural PPI paradigms.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. e0151467 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abhijit Dandapat ◽  
Benjamin J. Perrin ◽  
Christine Cabelka ◽  
Maria Razzoli ◽  
James M. Ervasti ◽  
...  

2005 ◽  
Vol 16 (09) ◽  
pp. 653-661
Author(s):  
Francis Kuk ◽  
Denise Keenan ◽  
Chi-Chuen Lau ◽  
Nick Dinulescu ◽  
Richard Cortez ◽  
...  

The present study compared differences in subjective and objective performance in completely-in-the-canal (CIC) hearing aids with conventional uniform 1.5 mm parallel vents and another with a reverse horn vent where the diameter increased from 1.5 mm on the lateral faceplate to 3 mm on the medial opening of the hearing aid. Nine hearing-impaired persons with a high-frequency hearing loss participated. The test battery included unaided in situ thresholds, amount of available gain before feedback, speech in quiet, speech in noise (HINT), subjective ratings of hollowness and tolerance, objective measures of the occlusion effect, and real-ear aided response. Results showed less available gain before feedback but less occlusion effect for subjective ratings and objective measures with the reverse horn vent. This type of vent design may be useful to increase the effective vent diameter of custom (including CIC) hearing aids.


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