Noise-Induced Hearing Loss and Hypertension: A Preliminary Analysis of Baseline Data of Occupational Noise-Exposed Workers

Abstract

The present study aimed to determine the current levels of systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and binaural high frequency (3, 4, and 6 kHz) threshold on average (BHFTA), to assess the prevalence of noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) and hypertension and determine the factors influencing the risk of both, and to evaluate the association between NIHL and hypertension among occupational noise-exposed workers. Questionnaire and occupational health checkup were performed to collect the personal information and physical examination data. Finally, baseline data from 42,588 occupational noise-exposed workers were analyzed. The mean levels of SBP, DBP, and BHFTA were 126.85 ± 15.94 mm Hg, 79.94 ± 11.61 mm Hg and 23.09 ± 11.32 dB, respectively. Of the 42,588 subjects, the prevalence of NIHL and hypertension were 24.38% (n = 10,383) and 25.40% (n = 10,816). The results suggested that higher risk of NIHL and hypertension were more likely to be the groups of male gender, aged > 35 years, exposure time to noise > 5 years, and smoking. The SBP, DBP and BHFTA levels increased with age and noise exposure time (Ptrend < 0.001). Besides, similar trends were also observed in the prevalence of NIHL and hypertension. Furthermore, there was a significant association of NIHL with hypertension. We found that 32.25% (n = 3,348) workers with NIHL had hypertension. The mean levels of SBP and DBP in NIHL workers were significantly higher than those with normal hearing (P < 0.001). In addition, NIHL workers had a significantly higher risk of developing hypertension than normal hearing workers (adjusted OR = 1.08, 95%CI = 1.03–1.14). Our current findings suggest that the prevalence of NIHL and hypertension are high in our study workers and occupational noise exposure is an important factor. Therefore, it is urgent to reduce noise exposure in the workplaces and to strengthen industrial noise monitoring.