Data from: Association of perceived tinnitus with duration of hormone replacement therapy in Korean postmenopausal women: a cross-sectional study

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between hormone replacement therapy and tinnitus in South Korea using data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (KNHANES) (2010 ~ 2012). Study Design : Cross-sectional analysis of a nationwide health survey. Methods: KNHANES is a nationally representative cross-sectional survey of South Korea population. Only postmenopausal women aged 19-65 years were included in the study (n = 2736). Auditory function was evaluated using pure-tone audiometric testing according to established KNHANES protocols. Subjects were questioned about their experience with tinnitus. Exogenous hormone-related factors included the starting age and duration of hormone replacement therapy Results: The overall prevalence of tinnitus was 22.2% among postmenopausal women. 1) Tinnitus severity was significantly higher in women using hormone replacement therapy (p = 0.0024) and 2) significantly lower in women who breast-fed their children (p = 0.0386). 3) According to logistic regression models, the longer duration of hormone replacement therapy was significantly associated with increasing tinnitus (OR = 1.323, 95% CI = 1.007-1.737, p = 0.0441). Conclusion: A longer duration of hormone replacement therapy was associated with developing tinnitus in Korean postmenopausal women. Further experimental and epidemiological researches are needed to elucidate the causal relationship between hormone replacement therapy and tinnitus.

研究目的：本研究旨在利用韩国国民健康与营养检查调查（Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys, KNHANES）2010~2012年的数据，探究韩国人群中激素替代疗法（hormone replacement therapy）与耳鸣的关联。
研究设计：全国性健康调查的横断面分析。
研究方法：KNHANES是针对韩国人群的全国代表性横断面调查。本研究仅纳入19~65岁的绝经后女性（n=2736）。依据KNHANES既定方案，采用纯音听阈测试评估研究对象的听力功能，并对其进行耳鸣相关病史问询。外源性激素相关因素包括激素替代疗法的起始年龄与持续时长。
研究结果：绝经后女性的总体耳鸣患病率为22.2%。1）使用激素替代疗法的女性耳鸣严重程度显著更高（p=0.0024）；2）曾进行母乳喂养的女性耳鸣严重程度显著更低（p=0.0386）；3）经逻辑回归模型分析，更长的激素替代疗法持续时长与耳鸣风险升高显著相关（优势比OR=1.323，95%置信区间CI=1.007~1.737，p=0.0441）。
研究结论：韩国绝经后女性中，更长的激素替代疗法持续时长与耳鸣发生存在关联。未来需开展更多实验与流行病学研究，以阐明激素替代疗法与耳鸣之间的因果关联。