Lipid metabolism and hearing loss: association of non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio (NHHR) with adolescent hearing health

Background: The ratio of non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (NHHR) is a novel lipid measure for assessing the risk of cardiovascular disease. Lipid metabolism disorders are reportedly associated with hearing impairment. This study aimed to investigate the potential association between NHHR and hearing.

Methods: The data used in this study were obtained from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) cycles of 2005-2010 and 2017-2018, including 4,296 participants aged 6-19 years. The NHHR was calculated from lipid profiles, and hearing was assessed using pure-tone audiometry. Weighted multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to investigate the association between the NHHR and hearing loss. Subgroup and sensitivity analyses were performed to verify the robustness of the results.

Results: Univariate analysis revealed significant associations between the NHHR and hearing threshold at all categorized frequency (low, speech, or high-frequency) (P < 0.001). Three models were used: an unadjusted model, a model adjusted for age, sex, and race, and a model further adjusted for PIR, BMI, and diabetes. Multiple regression analysis confirmed these associations consistently across all models. When considered as a continuous variable, NHHR had a significant association with enhanced hearing thresholds at all categorized frequencies: low-frequency (β:0.56, 95% CI: 0.36-0.75), speech-frequency (β:0.55, 95% CI: 0.36-0.7), and high-frequency (β:0.55, 95% CI: 0.36-0.74). The adjusted models showed persistent positive correlations after controlling for covariates. The NHHR was consistently positively associated with hearing loss. The NHHR and auditory thresholds showed a general dose-response association across all frequencies.

Conclusions: NHHR is a promising biomarker for predicting adolescent hearing threshold shifts and hearing loss. The study highlights the importance of early lipid monitoring and management as strategies to prevent or reduce hearing impairment.