Association between COPD and SSNHL, Bell's palsy, and Meniere's disease: A longitudinal follow-up study using the National Health Insurance Database in South Korea.

BACKGROUND: Chronic ischemia in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) can increase the risk of inner ear diseases, such as sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL), Bell's palsy, and Meniere's disease. However, the impact of COPD on these diseases has not been estimated. This study aimed to estimate the risk of SSNHL, Bell's palsy, and Meniere's disease in patients with COPD. METHODS: A total of 582,406 COPD patients were matched with 2,063,063 control participants. The overlap weighted hazard ratios (HRs) of COPD for SSNHL, Bell's palsy, and Meniere's disease were calculated using a propensity score overlap weighted Cox proportional hazard regression model. Secondary analyses were conducted in subgroups according to demographic factors and comorbidities. RESULTS: Overall, 1.00% (5838/582,406), 0.71% (4133/582,406), and 0.75% (4340/582,406) of the COPD patients had SSNHL, Bell's palsy, and Meniere's disease, respectively. The risks of SSNHL, Bell's palsy, and Meniere's disease were 1.06 (95% confidence intervals [CI] = 1.03 - 1.08), 1.05 (1.02 - 1.08), and 1.13 (1.10 - 1.17) times greater, respectively, in COPD patients than in control participants. The increased risk of three diseases in COPD patients was consistent in most of the subgroups. CONCLUSION: Patients with COPD had greater risks of SSNHL, Bell's palsy, and Meniere's disease than did those without COPD. Meniere's disease showed the highest risk related to the presence of COPD.