**Seoul**: A recent study reveals a strong correlation between gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and an elevated risk of tinnitus, highlighting significant health implications as researchers analyse a dataset of over 669,000 patients to establish this connection.
A recent study published in Scientific Reports highlights a significant correlation between gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and an increased risk of tinnitus. Conducted by Sung-Woo Kang from the Kyung Hee University College of Korean Medicine in Seoul, the research sheds light on potential health implications of this common condition.
The study was built on a retrospective cohort analysis involving a vast dataset of 669,159 patients drawn from the National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort, covering the period from 2012 to 2019 in South Korea. Researchers sought to explore the potential connection between GERD and tinnitus, a condition that causes a persistent ringing or noise in the ears, suggesting that acid reflux might disrupt the delicate balance of the middle and inner ear through its effects on the Eustachian tube.
Throughout the follow-up period, the findings indicated that 60,253 individuals suffering from GERD were diagnosed with tinnitus, compared to just 11,367 individuals in the non-GERD cohort. This translated to an incidence rate of 14.91 cases per 1,000 person-years for those with GERD versus only 1.74 for those without. The study calculated a crude hazard ratio of 8.32, which signifies a markedly higher risk for those with GERD.
Source: Noah Wire Services
