Environmental Exposures to Lead, Mercury, and Cadmium and Hearing Loss in Adults and Adolescents: KNHANES 2010-2012.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The prevalence of hearing loss increases rapidly with aging. Hearing loss is common in all age groups, even in young adults and adolescents. A growing body of evidence has suggested that heavy metals have ototoxic effects, yet few epidemiological studies have investigated the association between heavy metals and hearing loss in a general population that includes adults and adolescents.

Objectives

We examined the association between environmental exposures to lead, mercury, and cadmium and the risk of hearing loss in adults and adolescents while controlling for potential confounding factors, including noise exposures and clinical factors.

Methods

We analyzed cross-sectional data from 5,187 adults and 853 adolescents in the Korean National Health and Nutritio

SUBMITTER: Choi YH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5743444 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature