Context: The results of a previous population cohort study suggested an association between osteoporosis and sudden sensory neural hearing loss (SSNHL).
Objectives: To use a nationwide cohort in the Korean population to investigate the risk of SSNHL in patients with osteoporosis.
Design, setting, and participants: Data entered from 2002 to 2013 were collected from the Korean National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort. A total of 68,241 patients with osteoporosis aged ≥50 years were matched with 68,241 control individuals. The crude (simple) and adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) of SSNHL in those with osteoporosis were analyzed using the Cox proportional hazard model. A subgroup analysis was performed according to age and sex.
Results: The risk of SSNHL was greater in the osteoporosis group than in the control group (adjusted HR, 1.56; 95% CI, 1.37 to 1.78; P < 0.001). The risk of SSNHL in those with osteoporosis was greater in patients aged <60 years, regardless of sex. Women aged ≥60 years had a higher HR for SSNHL in the presence of osteoporosis (women aged 60 to 69 years: adjusted HR, 1.67; 95% CI, 1.34 to 2.08; P < 0.001; women aged ≥70 years: adjusted HR, 1.90; 95% CI, 1.29 to 2.79; P < 0.001).
Conclusions: The risk of SSNHL was greater for patients with osteoporosis aged ≥50 years. Middle-age adults, as well as the elderly, are at an increased risk of SSNHL in the presence of osteoporosis.