Table 3.
Characteristics of subjects in different audiometric phenotypes.
| Variables | Normal hearing (n = 3,708) | 4–6 kHz sharp-notched (n = 2,318) | 4–6 kHz flat-notched (n = 2,033) | 3–8 kHz notched (n = 1,531) | 1–8 kHz notched (n = 717) | P value* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years), mean (SD) | 29.9 (7.0)b,c,d,e | 34.9 (7.7)a,d,e | 35.4 (8.9)a,d,e | 39.6 (8.1)a,b,c,e | 43.5.4 (7.8)a,b,c,d | <0.001 |
| CNE (dB[A]), mean (SD) | 85.4 (27.8)b,c,d,e | 93.8 (17.6)a,c,d,e | 91.5 (22.6)a,b,d,e | 96.9 (14.3)a,b,c,e | 100.0 (13.3)a,b,c,d | <0.001 |
| Sex, n (%) | <0.001 | |||||
| Males | 3,065 (82.7)b,c,d,e | 2,144 (92.5)a,c,d,e | 1,775 (87.3)a,b,d,e | 1,492 (97.5)a,b,c | 689 (96.1)a,b,c | |
| Females | 643 (17.3)b,c,d,e | 174 (7.5) | 258 (12.7) | 39 (2.5) | 28 (3.9) | |
| BMI, n (%) | 0.209 | |||||
| non-obese | 3,356 (90.5) | 2,118 (91.4) | 1,831 (90.1) | 1,409 (92.0) | 657 (91.6) | |
| Obese | 352 (9.5) | 200 (8.6) | 202 (9.9) | 122 (8.0) | 60 (8.4) | |
| Hearing difficulty, n (%) | <0.001 | |||||
| No | 2,914 (78.6)c,d,e | 1,844 (79.6)c,d,e | 1,555 (76.5)a,b,e | 1,168 (76.3)a,b,e | 474 (66.1)a,b,c,d | |
| Yes | 794 (21.4) | 474 (20.4) | 478 (23.5) | 363 (23.7) | 243 (33.9) | |
| Tinnitus, n (%) | <0.001 | |||||
| No | 2,600 (70.1)c,d,e | 1,640 (70.8)c,d,e | 1,370 (67.4)a,b,d,e | 957 (62.5)a,b,c,e | 404 (56.3)a,b,c,d | |
| Yes | 1,108 (29.9) | 678 (29.2) | 663 (32.6) | 574 (37.5) | 313 (43.7) | |
| HPD use, n (%) | <0.001 | |||||
| <4 h/work-day | 2,290 (61.8)b,c,d,e | 1,719 (74.2)a,d,e | 1,516 (74.6)a,d,e | 1,256 (81.4)a,b,c,e | 613 (85.5)a,b,c,d | |
| ≥4 h/work-day | 1,418 (38.2) | 599 (25.8) | 517 (25.4) | 285 (18.6) | 104 (14.5) | |
| Earphone use, n (%) | 0.004 | |||||
| <1 h/day | 2,151 (58.0)c,d,e | 1,361 (58.7)c,d,e | 1,112 (54.7)a,b | 836 (54.6)a,b | 384 (53.6)a,b | |
| ≥1 h/day | 1,557 (42.0) | 957 (41.3) | 921 (45.3) | 695 (45.4) | 333 (46.4) | |
| Tobacco consumption, n (%) | <0.001 | |||||
| <10 cigarettes/day | 2,451 (66.1)b,c,d,e | 1,371 (59.1)a,c,d | 1,300 (63.9)a,b,d,e | 886 (57.9)a,c | 428 (59.7)a,c | |
| ≥10 cigarettes/day | 1,257 (33.9) | 947 (40.9) | 733 (36.1) | 645 (42.1) | 289 (40.3) | |
| Alcohol consumption, n (%) | <0.001 | |||||
| <50 g/day | 3,023 (81.5)b,c,d,e | 1,577 (68.0)a,c,d | 1,498 (73.7)a,b,d,e | 982 (64.1)a,b,c,e | 478 (66.7)a,c,d | |
| ≥50 g/day | 685 (18.5) | 741 (32.0) | 535 (26.3) | 549 (35.9) | 239 (33.3) |
SD, standard deviation; BMI, body mass index; CNE, cumulative noise exposure; HPD, hearing protective device.
*
Comparisons were between different audiometric phenotypes.
Significantly different from normal hearinga, 4–6 kHz sharp-notchedb, 4–6 kHz flat-notchedc, 3–8 kHz notchedd, and 1–8 kHz notchede audiograms in post-hoc analyses of ANOVA or chi-square test (P < 0.05).