Association between hypertension and hearing loss: a systemic review and meta-analysis

Objective To systematically evaluate the association between hypertension and hearing loss. Methods A standardized search for studies on hypertension and hearing loss in PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science was performed using subject terms, free terms, and keyword combinations for the period of library construction to March 2024. Meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.4 and STATA 18.0. Results A total of 12 studies were included, assessing 594,676 participants. The combined OR using the random effects model was 1.849 (95% CI: 1.549, 2.208). Heterogeneity in this analysis was high ( I 2 = 98%, p < 0.1), and by sensitivity analysis we found that the heterogeneity may have originated from 3 studies, the removal of which significantly reduced the heterogeneity and had a small effect on the effect size [OR (95%CI): 1.893 (1.834, 1.953), I 2 = 0.0%, p = 0.465]. Conclusion Hypertension may be one of the risk factors for hearing loss. Identification of hypertension can help in early assessment and management of hearing loss risk. Systematic review registration https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/ , identifier CRD42023460001.