Table 2. Demographic Characteristics of Korean Adults Aged ≥60 Years with Tinnitus According to Tinnitus Severity.
| Variables | Severity of tinnitus | p value | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Not annoying (n=948) | Irritating (n= 647) | Severely annoying (n=138) | |||
| Age (yr) | 70.27±6.50 | 71.19±6.38‖ | 71.27±6.26 | 0.012 | |
| Female | 509 (53.7) | 395 (61.1)‖ | 97 (70.3)‖ | <0.001 | |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 24.17±3.12 | 24.13±3.32 | 24.67±2.84 | 0.177 | |
| Obesity* | 344 (36.8) | 245 (38.1) | 64 (46.7) | 0.082 | |
| TC (mg/dL) | 186.98±40.82 | 187.77±39.01 | 190.48±39.80 | 0.624 | |
| Triglyceride (mg/dL) | 137.31±81.50 | 135.07±79.54 | 155.93±130.37** | 0.033 | |
| HDL-C (mg/dL) | 48.23±11.82 | 48.54±11.90 | 47.39±12.28 | 0.576 | |
| LDL-C (mg/dL) | 107.79±36.22 | 111.42±35.62 | 105.15±34.11 | 0.621 | |
| TC/HDL-C ratio | 4.05±1.14 | 4.05±1.17 | 4.33±2.14‖ | 0.047 | |
| Diagnosis | |||||
| Hypertension | 495 (52.2) | 351 (54.3) | 82 (59.9) | 0.220 | |
| Diabetes | 189 (19.9) | 135 (20.9) | 30 (21.9) | 0.815 | |
| Dyslipidemia | 329 (34.7) | 236 (36.5) | 54 (39.4) | 0.491 | |
| Anemia† | 102 (10.8) | 95 (14.8)‖ | 24 (17.4)** | 0.016 | |
| Current smoking | 116 (12.4) | 60 (9.4) | 11 (8.3) | 0.103 | |
| Noise exposure‡ | 538 (56.8) | 327 (50.5)‖ | 79 (57.2) | 0.040 | |
| Stress cognition§ | 170 (18.2) | 171 (26.8)‖ | 52 (39.4)** | <0.001 | |
| Depressive mood or anxiety¶ | 122 (13.3) | 129 (20.9)‖ | 38 (30.6)‖ | <0.001 | |
BMI, body mass index; TC, total cholesterol; HDL-C, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; LDL-C, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol.
Data were obtained from the 2016–2018 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. p-values were calculated using a one-way analysis of variance or chi-squared test, and the Bonferroni method was used for post-hoc analysis. Continuous variables are expressed as the means and standard errors, whereas categorical variables are expressed as unweighted numbers and percentages.
*BMI of ≥25 kg/m2; †Hemoglobin level of <13 g/dL in male and <12 g/dL in female; ‡Defined as at a workplace for >3 months, at a place other than the workplace for >5 hours per week, or having been exposed to instantaneous loud noise, such as noise from firearms and explosions; §Defined as a reporting “a lot” or “very much” stress in daily life; ¶Defined as reporting “somewhat” or “very severe” symptoms of depression or anxiety; ∥p<0.05 by post-hoc analyses when compared to the “not annoying” group; **p<0.05 by post-hoc analyses when compared to the “irritating” group.