Cadmium, obesity, and education, and the 10‐year incidence of hearing impairment: The beaver dam offspring study

Abstract

Objectives/Hypothesis: To determine the 10-year incidence of hearing impairment (HI) and associated risk factors in the Beaver Dam Offspring Study (BOSS; 2004-present), a large middle-aged cohort followed for 10 years. ) follow-up examinations. HI was defined as a pure-tone average >25 dB HL in either ear. BOSS participants free of HI at baseline with at least one follow-up examination (N = 2,065) were included. Potential risk factors evaluated included cardiovascular measures, health history, lifestyle factors, inflammatory markers, vitamins D and B12, lead, and cadmium.Results: Participants were 21 to 79 years (mean age = 47.9 years) at baseline. The 10-year cumulative HI incidence was 17.4% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 15.7-19.2) and was twice as likely in men (24.4%, 95% CI: 21.5-27.7) than in women (12.2%, 95% CI: 10.3-14.3). In a multivariable adjusted model, age (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.48, 95% CI: 1.38-1.59, per 5 years), male sex (HR = 2.47, 95% CI: 1.91-3.18), less than a college education (HR = 1.35, 95% CI: 1.02-1.79), body mass index (HR = 1.03, 95% CI: 1.01-1.05, per kg/m 2 ), and higher cadmium levels (HR = 1.42, 95% CI: 1.05-1.92, quintile 5 vs. quintiles 1-4) were associated with the 10-year cumulative incidence of HI. There was no association between high lead levels, vitamins D or B12, and 10-year incidence of HI.Conclusions: In addition to age and sex, obesity, education, and blood cadmium levels were associated with increased incidence of HI. These prospective results add to evidence that age-related HI is a multifactorial preventable disorder.

Exposure to Cadmium, Lead, and Tobacco Smoke and the 10-Year Cumulative Incidence of Olfactory Impairment

“…43 Environmental exposure to cadmium has been associated with bone, kidney, and cardiovascular diseases; cancer; mortality; and, previously in the BOSS cohort, an increased risk for developing hearing and vision impairments. 17,18,38,40,44,45 On a cellular level, cadmium has been associated with apoptosis of neurons, oxidative stress, impaired neurogenesis, endocrine disruption, and epigenetic effects. 45,46 It is believed that inhaled cadmium is taken up by the olfactory epithelium and transported along the olfactory sensory neurons to the olfactory bulb in the brain, where it accumulates.…”

“…35 BOSS participants were first examined in 2005-2008 with follow-up examinations at 5 (2010-2013) and 10 (2015-2017) years. 15,37,38 Of the 3298 baseline participants, 2848 (86.4%) had olfactory data: 109 participants with and 2739 participants without olfactory impairment. 29 Written informed consent was obtained from all participants before each examination and approval for the present research, conducted from April 28, 2020, to January 8, 2021, was obtained from the University of Wisconsin Health Sciences Institutional Review Board.…”

“…Metabolic (total and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, hemoglobin A 1c ) and inflammatory (white blood cell count, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1, and soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1) markers were measured in baseline blood samples. 37,38 Diabetes was defined as a hemoglobin A 1c level greater than or equal to 6.5% (to convert to proportion of total hemoglobin, multiply by 0.01) or a physician diagnosis of diabetes or suspected diabetes with current treatment. Interleukin-6, soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1, and soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 were analyzed as tertiles (tertile 3 vs tertiles 1 and 2) and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein was divided into 3 risk groups (<1, 1-3, and >3 mg/L) based on established clinical cut points.…”

Subjective Impact of Age-Related Hearing Loss Is Worse for Those Who Routinely Experience Boredom and Failures of Attention

“…Our finding that higher levels of education were associated with better objective hearing ability was unsurprising (r = −0.19. p < 0.001), given the consistent body of evidence supporting the relationship between a greater number of years in education and a reduced risk of developing hearing impairments, as well as other health issues in general (Dalton et al 2020;Cruickshanks et al 2003Cruickshanks et al , 2010Cruickshanks et al , 2015Hahn 2015;Kaplan 2015).…”

The role of calcium, Akt and ERK signaling in cadmium-induced hair cell death

“…Cadmium can be found in some industrial run-off and individuals can be exposed to it in certain occupations, via smoking or via contaminated food (Faroon et al, 2012; IARC, 2012). Multiple studies have found a link between blood or urinary cadmium levels and hearing or balance impairment (Choi and Park, 2017; Choi et al, 2012; Dalton et al, 2020; Huh et al, 2018; Jung, 2019; Kang et al, 2018; Min et al, 2012; Shargorodsky et al, 2011; Wang et al, 2020). Studies have also found hearing loss and/or hair cell death in mammals and fish exposed to cadmium (Faucher et al, 2006; Kim et al, 2008; Liu et al, 2014; Low and Higgs, 2015; Montalbano et al, 2018; Ozcaglar et al, 2001; Schmid et al, 2020; Sonnack et al, 2015).…”