AUTHOR=Lee Jeon Mi , Lee Hyun Jin 

TITLE=Is sleep apnea truly associated with hearing loss? A nationwide, population-based study with STOP-BANG questionnaire

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Public Health

VOLUME=Volume 11 - 2023

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1170470

DOI=10.3389/fpubh.2023.1170470

ISSN=2296-2565

ABSTRACT=Objectives: We aimed to investigate the effect of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) on hearing ability.
Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the population-based survey data collected by the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between January 1, 2019, and December 31, 2020. The data included 3,575 participants who completed the STOP-BANG questionnaire (SBQ) and pure-tone audiometry. OSA risk was assessed using the SBQ, and the hearing level was compared between the risk groups.
Results: Among the 3,575 participants, 2,152 (60.2%), 891 (24.9%), and 532 (14.9%) were classified as being low, intermediate, and high risk, respectively. The intermediate- and high-risk groups showed significantly worse hearing levels than the low-risk group. When age and sex were adjusted, the hearing level did not differ between the risk groups.
Conclusion: The study found that the presence of OSA minimally affected hearing level. Because hearing loss due to hypoxic damage develops over a long period of time, further research on the association between the duration of OSA, rather than the presence or severity of OSA, and hearing loss is needed.