Low Bone Mineral Density Is Associated with High-Frequency Hearing Impairment in Women Over 50: An Observational Study in Korea.

Background: Osteoporosis and hearing impairment are known to be associated, but specific data regarding gender, bone mineral density (BMD) measurement sites, and hearing frequency ranges remain unclear. This study aimed to clarify the relationship between hearing loss and BMD in adults over the age of 50. Additionally, the study sought to determine the frequency ranges of pure tone audiometry (PTA) related to osteoporosis, identify BMD measurement sites, and investigate gender differences.

Methods: A total of 1,523 adults (651 men and 872 women) over the age of 50, who participated in a medical health check-up at a university hospital, were included. PTA was conducted to assess hearing, and BMD was measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry at the lumbar vertebrae (LV) and femur.

Results: In women over the age of 50, a significant association was observed between hearing impairment and osteoporosis (P<0.01), but no such association was found in men. Lumbar BMD (L1-4) in women was significantly associated with hearing loss at 4,000 and 8,000 Hz (both P<0.05), whereas femoral neck and total femur BMD showed no significant relationship. In multiple logistic regression analysis, the odds ratio (OR) between osteoporosis and hearing threshold at 4,000 Hz (OR, 2.078; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.092-3.954) and 8,000 Hz (OR, 2.648; 95% CI, 1.543-4.544) remained statistically significant in women after adjusting for age and other risk factors.

Conclusion: In women over the age of 50, low BMD at the LV is significantly associated with hearing impairment, particularly at the high frequencies of 4,000 and 8,000 Hz.