| 1. |
- Fransen, Erik, et al.
(författare)
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Occupational Noise, Smoking, and a High Body Mass Index are Risk Factors for Age-related Hearing Impairment and Moderate Alcohol Consumption is Protective : A European Population-based Multicenter Study
- 2008
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Ingår i: Journal of the Association for Research in Otolaryngology. - : Springer. - 1525-3961 .- 1438-7573. ; 9:3, s. 264-276
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A multicenter study was set up to elucidate the environmental and medical risk factors contributing to age-related hearing impairment (ARHI). Nine subsamples, collected by nine audiological centers across Europe, added up to a total of 4,083 subjects between 53 and 67 years. Audiometric data (pure-tone average [PTA]) were collected and the participants filled out a questionnaire on environmental risk factors and medical history. People with a history of disease that could affect hearing were excluded. PTAs were adjusted for age and sex and tested for association with exposure to risk factors. Noise exposure was associated with a significant loss of hearing at high sound frequencies (>1 kHz). Smoking significantly increased high-frequency hearing loss, and the effect was dose-dependent. The effect of smoking remained significant when accounting for cardiovascular disease events. Taller people had better hearing on average with a more pronounced effect at low sound frequencies (<2 kHz). A high body mass index (BMI) correlated with hearing loss across the frequency range tested. Moderate alcohol consumption was inversely correlated with hearing loss. Significant associations were found in the high
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| 2. |
- Van Laer, Lut, et al.
(författare)
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The grainyhead like 2 gene (GRHL2), alias TFCP2L3, is associated with age-related hearing impairment
- 2008
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Ingår i: Human Molecular Genetics. - : Oxford University Press. - 0964-6906 .- 1460-2083. ; 17:2, s. 159-169
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Age-related hearing impairment (ARHI) is the most prevalent sensory impairment in the elderly. ARHI is a complex disease caused by an interaction between environmental and genetic factors. The contribution of various environmental factors has been relatively extensively studied. In contrast, investigations to identify the genetic risk factors have only recently been initiated. In this paper we describe the results of an association study performed on 2418 ARHI samples derived from nine centers from seven European countries. In 70 candidate genes, a total of 768 tag single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were selected based on HAPMAP data. These genes were chosen among the monogenic hearing loss genes identified in mice and men in addition to several strong functional candidates. After genotyping and data polishing, statistical analysis of all samples combined resulted in a P-value that survived correction for multiple testing for one SNP in the GRHL2 gene. Other SNPs in this gene were also associated, albeit to a lesser degree. Subsequently, an analysis of the most significant GRHL2 SNP was performed separately for each center. The direction of the association was identical in all nine centers. Two centers showed significant associations and a third center showed a trend towards significance. Subsequent fine mapping of this locus demonstrated that the majority of the associated SNPs reside in intron 1. We hypothesize that the causative variant may change the expression levels of a GRHL2 isoform.
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