Association of Central Obesity with the Severity and Audiometric Configurations of Age-Related Hearing Impairment

Aim 1. To know the relationship between central obesity with age-related hearing loss.

2. To know the most important indicator of central obesity associated with age-related hearing loss.

3. To know the relationship if any between age, degree of obesity, and configuration of hearing loss.

4. To know the relationship between diabetes mellitus, hypertension with the central obesity, and severity of hearing loss.

Material and Methods This is a prospective, randomized, single blind study performed over a period of 2 years from August 2016 to July 2018. Six hundred patients who attended outpatient department (OPD) in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, with sensorineural hearing loss following inclusion criteria, are included in the study. Detailed history was taken followed by clinical examination. All patients were subjected to complete ENT examination, pure tone audiometric examination was done in all cases (MAICO MA42 audiometer). Height, body weight, and waist circumference (WC) were measured.

Results The correlation between obesity and SNHL was found to be more significant in females than males. Obese and diabetic patients of both sexes were found to have higher degree of hearing loss for both high and low frequencies as compared with nonobese patients. Good correlation was found between BMI and degree of hearing loss. Abrupt high tone loss type of audiometric configuration was the commonest finding in both male and females.

Conclusion There is a correlation between ages related to sensory neural hearing loss with central obesity and its comorbidities, with waist circumference as the most important indicator.

Clinical Significance A careful understanding of the modifiable risk factors for age-related sensory neural hearing loss help in its early detection and prevention.