Association between hearing loss and insulin resistance as measured by metabolic score for insulin resistance in NHANES 1999 to 2018

Sensorineural hearing loss (HL) is becoming more prevalent among people of all ages. Several studies have suggested that insulin resistance (IR) could impact hearing. The aim of this work was to demonstrate the relationship between IR and HL based on the surrogate marker of metabolic score for IR (METS-IR). This cross-sectional study eventually enrolled 3,921 adults (weighted population: 43,438,988) based on National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2018 (NHANES). Sensorineural HL was divided into low-frequency HL (LFHL), speech-frequency HL (SFHL), and high-frequency HL (HFHL) based on the better ear's pure-tone average (PTA). We used multivariate logistic regression analysis to explore the association between METS-IR and risk of HL. 798 (weighted 16.3%), 1,124 (weighted 24.6%), and 2,043 (weighted 49.4%) participants with LFHL, SFHL, and HFHL were eventually included in this research, respectively. Individuals with METS-IR in the highest tertile had higher risks of SFHL with OR of 1.814 (95% CI: 1.180-2.790) than those in the lowest tertile. Linear relationships were found between METS-IR and sensorineural HL. In conclusions, our results suggested a positive association between METS-IR and the risk of sensorineural SFHL. Early management of IR might be beneficial for HL. Considering the limitations of cross-sectional studies, the evidence from longitudinal and follow-up studies are still needed.