Table 2.
Hazard ratios (95% CIs) for all-cause, cardiovascular, and injury-related mortality by pure-tone average of thresholds at 0.5, 1.0, and 2. 0 kHz in the better ear.
| Hearing Category | Person-Years (PY) | Number of Events | Mortality Rate (105 PY) | Age and Sex-Adjusted HR (95% CI) | Multivariable-Adjusted HR a (95% CI) | HR (95% CI) b in Model Using Time-Dependent Variables |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All-cause mortality | ||||||
| < 25 dB | 5,085,564.9 | 5277 | 103.8 | 1.00 (reference) | 1.00 (reference) | 1.00 (reference) |
| 25 to <40 dB | 158,784.4 | 962 | 505.9 | 1.18 (1.09–1.27) | 1.13 (1.05–1.21) | 1.22 (1.13–1.31) |
| ≥ 40 dB | 29,201.7 | 342 | 1171.2 | 1.37 (1.22–1.54) | 1.30 (1.16–1.46) | 1.40 (1.25–1.57) |
| p for trend | <0.001 | <0.001 | 0.001 | |||
| Cardiovascular mortality | ||||||
| < 25 dB | 5,085,564.9 | 733 | 14.4 | 1.00 (reference) | 1.00 (reference) | 1.00 (reference) |
| 25 to <40 dB | 158,784.4 | 179 | 112.7 | 1.42 (1.18-1.69) | 1.32 (1.10–1.58) | 1.40 (1.18–1.67) |
| ≥ 40 dB | 29,201.7 | 65 | 222.6 | 1.59 (1.21–2.08) | 1.53 (1.16–2.01) | 1.78 (1.37–2.30) |
| p for trend | <0.001 | <0.001 | 0.001 | |||
| Injury-related mortality | ||||||
| < 25 dB | 5,085,564.9 | 1045 | 20.5 | 1.00 (reference) | 1.00 (reference) | 1.00 (reference) |
| 25 to <40 dB | 158,784.4 | 83 | 52.3 | 1.09 (0.86–1.39) | 1.03 (0.81–1.31) | 1.17 (0.93–1.47) |
| ≥ 40 dB | 29,201.7 | 33 | 113.0 | 1.80 (1.24–2.59) | 1.64 (1.13–2.36) | 1.73 (1.21–2.47) |
| p for trend | 0.012 | 0.047 | 0.003 |
a Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated from Cox proportional hazard models using age as timescale. Multivariable model was adjusted for age (timescale), sex, center, year of screening exam, smoking status, alcohol intake, regular exercise, BMI, education level, exposure to occupational noise, history of diabetes, history of hypertension, history of cancer, history of cardiovascular disease, and medication for dyslipidemia. b Estimated from Cox proportional hazard models with hearing threshold category, alcohol consumption, smoking status, regular exercise, BMI, history of diabetes, history of hypertension, history of cancer, history of cardiovascular disease, and medication for dyslipidemia as time-dependent categorical variables, and baseline age, sex, center, year of screening exam, education level, and exposure to occupational noise as time-fixed variables. BMI, body mass index; CI, confidence interval; HR, hazard ratio.