Is non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus a potential risk factor for noise-induced hearing loss
- Univ. of Pittsburgh, PA (USA)
Little is known about the relationship between noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) in individuals exposed to chronic noise and non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). Previous studies were hampered by small sample size and, therefore, have combined type I and type II diabetes. In this retrospective study, we examined the prevalence of noise-induced hearing loss in 229 men (age 55-68 (mean = 63 y)) employed at a metal assembly plant. All men had been chronically exposed to noise for approximately 30 y ({ge} 89 dBA) with an average Ea of 104.5 (noise emission level). NIHL was defined as {ge} 65 db loss at 3, 4 or 6 KHz in at least one ear {plus minus} 20 db threshold in the contralateral ear. The sample consisted of 146 (63.76%) with NIHL, among whom 24 (16.4%) had NIDDM, compared to 4 (4.82%) of the non-NIHL. The clinical examination included audiometric evaluation of pure tone threshold discrimination of speech in background noise (W22-Mas ( > 60% indicating better hearing)), measurement of blood pressure, medical/personal habits, alcohol consumption, cigarette smoking, noisy hobbies, and occupational and military history. The subjects with NIHL reported a greater prevalence of NIDDM compared to the non-NIHL individuals. Simultaneous evaluation of several potential risk factors using a multiple logistic regression indicates that the significant predictors of NIHL were diabetes and age. These results suggest that a person with NIDDM who is also occupationally exposed to noise is more likely to develop NIHL than those without NIDDM.
- OSTI ID:
- 5735060
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-890937-; CODEN: AEHLA
- Journal Information:
- Archives of Environmental Health; (USA), Vol. 45:5; Conference: 1. annual meeting of the International Society for Environmental Epidemiology, Upton, NY (USA), 13-15 Sep 1989; ISSN 0003-9896
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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