Primal Health Databank: Study
| Entry No: | 0453 |
| Title: | The thrifty phenotype hypothesis and hearing problems |
| Author(s): | Barrenäs ML, Bratthall A, Dahlgren J |
| Reference: | BMJ 2003;327:1199-1200 |
| Place of Study: | Sweden |
| Abstract: | The authors assessed hearing with standard audiometry in 479 men aged 20 to 64, who were exposed to noise in their jobs, and 500 randomly selected 18 year old male conscripts born in 1974. They had data on body height, weight, exposure to noise, occurrence of hereditary taint for hearing loss, and other medical disorders including use of drugs.
Among the conscripts, using odds ratios, shortness was found twice as often in those with hearing problems as in men with normal hearing. Hearing problems were also associated with a positive heredity for hearing loss but not with noise exposure. Short workers had worse hearing than expected by age, three times more often than taller workers and were 12 times more often taking drugs. To further test the thrifty phenotype hypothesis on hearing, the authors used multiple linear regression to model the high frequency hearing thresholds (the average of 3, 4, and 6 kHz bilaterally) among the noise exposed workers as a function of body height (cm), age (years), and hypertension (yes or no). Older short men with hypertension had significantly worse hearing (P 0.01), but among tall men, hypertension had no effect on hearing and the influence of age was less pronounced. |
| Keyword(s): | fetal growth, hearing loss, hearing problems |
| Discussion: | No discussion mentioned for this entry |
| See Also: | No related entries mentioned for this entry |
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