Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32881903›Full record

ArticlePloS one2020

Risk of hearing loss in patients with fibromyalgia: A nationwide population-based retrospective cohort study.

Thi Phuong Le, Ya-Ling Tzeng, Chih-Hsin Muo, Hua Ting, Fung-Chang Sung, Shin-Da Lee, Yu-Kuei Teng

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in PloS one, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
0.9field-weighted citation impact, top 26% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed, 13 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Review
  2. Sensory processing in medically unexplained pain syndrome. A systematic review.Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland) · 2025
    Review
  3. Review
  4. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.

Thi Phuong LeNursing Department, Duy Tan University, Da Nang, Vietnam.
Ya-Ling TzengSchool of Nursing and Graduate Institute of Nursing, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.
Chih-Hsin MuoManagement Office for Health Data, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan.
Hua TingInstitute of Medicine, Chung-Shan Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.
Fung-Chang SungDepartment of Public Health, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.
Shin-Da LeeDepartment of Physical Therapy, Graduate Institute of Rehabilitation Science, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.ORCID 0000-0002-8393-8349
Yu-Kuei TengSchool of Nursing and Graduate Institute of Nursing, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.ORCID 0000-0003-4041-6783
China Medical University · TWAsia University · TWChung Shan Medical University Hospital · TWDuy Tan University · VN

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesOur objectives are to examine whether patients with fibromyalgia (FM) present an increased risk of hearing loss (HL) compared with those without FM and to explore the relationship between comorbidities/drugs and development of HL in patients with FM. Furthermore, we investigated the incidence rate of different types of HL and the joint effects for HL with FM and comorbidities.

methodsThis population-based retrospective cohort study included patients with new-onset FM from 2000 to 2002 (the FM group) and age- and sex-matched randomized patients without FM (the non-FM group) from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database. Patients were followed up from baseline (3 months after FM diagnosis) until death, withdrawal, HL development, or December 31, 2013. The primary outcome was the risk of HL, which was assessed using Cox proportional-hazards analysis.

resultsThe overall HL risk in the FM group was 1.46-fold (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.38-1.55) higher than that in the non-FM group after adjustment for sex, age, and comorbidities (p < 0.0001). Patients with FM had significantly greater sensorineural HL (adjusted hazard ratio = 1.46, 95% CI: 1.37-1.56) than those without FM. Patients with FM having comorbidities of diabetes, hyperlipidemia, depression, and Meniere's disease had a higher risk of HL than those without FM.

conclusionOur findings support the notion that FM influences HL and is in line with the hypothesis that the FM mechanism is related to a central nervous system abnormality in sensory processing. Health care professionals should provide appropriate screening for the risk of HL and prevention and counseling methods for patients with FM.

Indexed as

AdultAgedComorbidityDatabases, FactualFemaleFibromyalgiaHearing LossHumansIncidenceMaleMiddle AgedRetrospective StudiesRisk FactorsTaiwan

Identifiers

PMID32881903
PMCPMC7470261
OpenAlexW3083081328

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.