Table 1.
Demographic and clinical characteristics of participants stratified by hearing impairment
| Characteristics | No hearing impairment (n = 4673) | Hearing impairment (n = 515) | p-value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years), ≥65 | 49.6 ± 15.7 | 70.2 ± 9.9 | <0.001 |
| Sex (male)a | 1914 (41.0) | 253 (49.1) | <0.001 |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 23.8 ± 3.4 | 23.6 ± 3.2 | 0.239 |
| Smoking (current)a | 1845 (38.5) | 253 (47.5) | <0.001 |
| Alcohol (≥30 g/day)a | 481 (10.3) | 52 (10.1) | 0.491 |
| Residence (rural)a | 2397 (51.3) | 241 (46.7) | 0.442 |
| Education (>college)a | 1505 (32.2) | 52 (10.1) | <0.001 |
| Occupationa | 0.411 | ||
| Services and others | 518 (11.1) | 31 (6.0) | |
| Industry | 411 (8.8) | 28 (5.5) | |
| Agriculture and fishery | 313 (6.7) | 63 (12.4) | |
| Hypertension (yes)a | 682 (14.6) | 156 (30.2) | <0.001 |
| Diabetes (yes)a | 439 (9.4) | 108 (21.0) | <0.001 |
| Dyslipidemia (yes)a | 715 (15.3) | 190 (19.2) | 0.046 |
| Thyroid dysfunction (yes)a | 78 (1.6) | 17 (3.4) | 0.081 |
| HbA1C | 5.8 ± 0.8 | 6.01 ± 0.9 | <0.001 |
| Blood lipid profile | |||
| Total cholesterol | 190.3 ± 36.0 | 189.0 ± 37.5 | 0.465 |
| HDL cholesterol | 52.0 ± 12.6 | 48.6 ± 11.9 | <0.001 |
| LDL cholesterol | 121.1 ± 34.9 | 112.8 ± 38.0 | 0.076 |
| Triglyceride | 130.2 ± 98.4 | 141.3 ± 123.6 | 0.062 |
| Urine albumin (ug/ml) | 230.2 ± 116.1 | 392.1 ± 119.8 | <0.001 |
| Urine creatinine (mg/dL) | 153.5 ± 86.8 | 122.1 ± 66.3 | <0.001 |
| ACR | 2.0 ± 1.4 | 4.1 ± 1.5 | <0.001 |
| Microalbuminuriaa | 61 (1.3) | 15 (2.9) | 0.008 |
| Serum creatinine | 0.83 ± 0.23 | 0.89 ± 0.27 | <0.001 |
| BUN | 14.3 ± 4.3 | 16.7 ± 5.2 | <0.001 |
| eGFR (mL/min/1.73 m2) | 91.9 ± 26.4 | 63.6 ± 19.7 | <0.001 |
| eGFR < 60a | 472 (10.1) | 243 (47.1) | <0.001 |
| SBP (mmHg) | 118.8 ± 16.6 | 128.6 ± 17.4 | <0.001 |
| DBP (mmHg) | 75.9 ± 10.4 | 74.2 ± 10.2 | <0.001 |
| Mean hearing level (dB) | 13.8 ± 9.7 | 54.6 ± 14.3 | <0.001 |
Data expressed as mean ± SD, p < 0.05 was set as the significance level, and significant differences between groups are shown in bold. We divided the participants at the 40-dB threshold into the hearing-impairment and no-hearing-impairment groups, using the average threshold of all six frequencies (500, 1000, 2000, 3000, 4000, and 6000 Hz) for both ears
BMI body mass index, HbA1 C glycosylated hemoglobin, HDL high-density lipoprotein, LDL low-density lipoprotein, UACR urinary albumin creatinine ratio, BUN blood urea nitrogen, eGFR estimated glomerular filtration rate, BUN blood urea nitrogen, SBP systolic blood pressur, DBP diastolic blood pressure, dB decibel, microalbuminuria defined as ACR ≥3.5 mg/mmol (female) or ACR ≥2.5 mg/mmol (male)
aData are expressed as number (%) unless otherwise indicated