Tinnitus, noise exposure and the risk of dementia: a prospective cohort study based on UK biobank

Abstract Background The burden of dementia is increasing dramatically with the population aging. Tinnitus and chronic noise exposure are associated with neuropsychiatric diseases and cognitive decline, but relationships between tinnitus and noise exposure and incident dementia remain unclear. Methods 160 032 participants from the UK Biobank were included. Information on tinnitus, tinnitus severity, noise exposure (loud music and noisy workplace) was collected at baseline. Cox proportional hazards models were used to assess the associations of tinnitus, tinnitus severity and noise exposure with the risk of incident dementia. Logistic regression models were used to assess the associations between noise exposure and tinnitus. Results During a median follow-up of 12.8 years, 2219 incident dementias were recorded. Compared with participants without tinnitus, those with tinnitus had a 10% increased risk of dementia (hazard ratios [HR]: 1.10, 95% CI: 1.00–1.20). Among the participants with tinnitus, compared with those with the lowest tinnitus severity, those with slight and moderate or severe tinnitus had 23% (95%CI: 1.03–1.46) and 64% (95%CI: 1.35–2.00) increased risks of dementia, respectively. Furthermore, compared with participants without exposure to noise, those with exposure to noise for more than 5 years had a 12% increased risk of dementia (HR: 1.12, 95%CI: 1.00–1.26). In addition, the longer time the participants exposed to noise, the higher the odds of having tinnitus (P for linear trend <.001). Conclusions Tinnitus, tinnitus severity and long-term noise exposure were associated with incident dementia, and long-term noise exposure were related to tinnitus. Tinnitus and noise exposure are public health issues vital for dementia prevention.