Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science (대한임상검사과학회지)

Korean Society for Clinical Laboratory Science (대한임상검사과학회)
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Relationship between Household Air Quality and Hearing Loss in Korean Adults: Analysis of Data from The Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2020~2021

우리나라 성인에서 가정 실내공기질과 난청 사이의 관계: 국민건강영양조사 2020~2021

  • Sang Shin PYO (Department of Biomedical Laboratory Science, Shinhan University)
  • 표상신 (신한대학교 임상병리학과)
  • Received : 2024.06.25
  • Accepted : 2024.07.26
  • Published : 2024.09.30
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Abstract

The purpose of this study was to identify the household air pollutants most significantly impacting hearing loss, using data from the 8th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Of the 1,980 participants, those with missing data were excluded from the study population, resulting in the final inclusion of 298 participants. Mild hearing loss is defined as a unilateral or bilateral pure-tone threshold average (PTA) of 26~40 dB, and moderate hearing loss is defined as a unilateral or bilateral PTA of 41 dB or higher. The mean of the PTAs for both ears is defined as the sum of the PTAs of the left and the right ears divided by 2. Complex samples multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that formaldehyde exposure independently significantly increased the risk of moderate hearing loss (odds ratio=1.050, P<0.001). Additionally, in the complex samples general linear model, toluene exposure (B=0.026, P<0.001) was found to be independently significantly associated with an increase in the mean of PTAs for both ears, where a higher mean of the PTAs for both ears indicates a decrease in hearing ability. These results suggest a strong association between hearing loss and the presence of toluene or formaldehyde in indoor air.

이 연구의 목적은 제8기 국민건강영양조사 자료를 사용하여 가정 내 공기 오염물질 중 난청에 가장 영향을 미치는 물질을 찾는 것이었다. 총 1,980명의 참가자 중, 결측치가 있는 참가자들은 연구 대상에서 제외되었으며, 최종적으로 298명의 참가자가 분석에 포함되었다. 경도 난청은 한쪽 귀 또는 양쪽 귀의 순음역치평균이 26 dB 이상 41 dB 미만인 경우로 정의하였고, 중등도 난청은 한쪽 귀 또는 양쪽 귀의 순음역치평균이 41 dB 이상인 경우로 정의하였다. 양측 순음역치평균의 평균은 왼쪽 귀와 오른쪽 귀의 순음역치평균을 합한 후 2로 나눈 값으로 정의하였다. 복합표본 다중 로지스틱 회귀분석의 결과, 폼알데하이드 노출은 중등도 난청의 위험도를 높이는 데 독립적으로 유의하였다(OR=1.050, P<0.001). 또한, 복합표본 일반선형모델 분석에서 톨루엔(B=0.026, P<0.001)의 노출은 양측 순음역치평균의 평균을 높이는 데 독립적으로 유의한 연관이 있었으며, 이는 양측 순음역치평균의 평균이 높을수록 청력의 감소를 의미한다. 이러한 결과는 난청과 실내 공기 중 톨루엔 및 폼알데하이드의 존재 사이에 강한 연관성이 있음을 암시한다.

Keywords

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