Associations of Retinal Vessel Caliber With Hearing Status in Childhood and Midlife: A Cross-Generational Population-Based Study.

ABSTRACT:

Importance

Microvascular phenotypes, which can be assessed using retinal imaging, may be informative about the life course pathogenesis of hearing loss.

Objective

To investigate whether differences in retinal vessel caliber (specifically wider venules and narrower arterioles) are associated with hearing threshold and hearing loss in mid-childhood and midlife.

Design, setting, and participants

A population-based cross-sectional study (Child Health CheckPoint) was nested within the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children. A total of 1281 children and 1255 attending parents were assessed using retinal microvasculature and air conduction audiometry data at a main assessment center in 7 large cities in Australia.

Main outcomes and measures

Air conduction audiometr

SUBMITTER: Wang J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7042908 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature