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Scientific Oral Presentations

Otology/Neurotology

Session: Scientific Oral Presentation 5 - Otology/Neurotology

Conductive Hearing Loss Pathologies are Related to Depression in the All of Us Research Program

Monday, October 13, 2025
8:54 AM - 9:00 AM EDT
Location: 244
Disclosure(s):
Hannah N. W Weinstein, BA:

faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

Lauren H. Tucker, MD, MS:

faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

Justin S. Golub, MD, MS:

faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

Introduction: Prior cross-sectional analysis suggests an association between conductive hearing loss (CHL) and depression. However, little is known about the potential impact of disease-specific CHL pathologies on mood disorders. We investigate if there is an association between three potentially correctable causes of CHL (otosclerosis, cholesteatoma, and tympanic membrane perforation) and depressive disorders in a large national cohort.

Methods: Subjects from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) All of Us Research Program ≥18 years old (n=396,194) were included. Exposures were CHL pathologies defined by ICD-10 code, including otosclerosis (H80.X), cholesteatoma (H71.X), and tympanic membrane perforation (H72.X). Outcomes were depressive disorders defined by ICD-10 code, including major depressive disorder (MDD; F32-33) and dysthymia (F34.1). Multivariable regression, adjusting for potential confounders (age, sex, education, race, and ethnicity), assessed odds of depression in subjects with and without a CHL pathology.

Results: The mean (SD) age was 56 years (±17); 245,030 (62%) participants identified as female. 243 (0.06%) participants had a diagnosis of otosclerosis, 273 (0.06%) had a diagnosis of cholesteatoma, and 1131 (0.3%) had a diagnosis of tympanic membrane perforation. In the cohort, 60562 (15%) were diagnosed with MDD and 4261 (1%) with dysthymia. Controlling for covariates, the odds of MDD were 2.2 times (95% CI 1.7-2.9; p< 0.001) higher for those with otosclerosis compared to those without; no association was seen with dysthymia. The odds of MDD and dysthymia were 3.1 times (95% CI 2.4-4.0; p< 0.001) and 4.5 times (95% CI 2.4-7.5; p< 0.001) higher, respectively, for those with cholesteatoma; and 3.4 times (95% CI 3.0-3.9; p< 0.001) and 4.4 times (95% CI 3.3-5.7; p< 0.001) higher, respectively, for those with tympanic membrane perforation.

Conclusions: In the All of Us dataset, all CHL pathologies were associated with MDD and most with dysthymia. This adds to the evidence that sensory deprivation from a purely peripheral process may impact mood.

    Presenting Author(s)

  • Hannah N. W Weinstein, BA

    Medical Student (MS4)
    Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons
    New York, NY, United States

    Disclosure(s):

    faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

    • Co-Author(s)

  • Lauren H. Tucker, MD, MS

    Resident
    UCSF
    San Francisco, CA, United States

    Disclosure(s):

    faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

  • MD

    Michael W. Denham, MD, MS, MPhil

    Resident Physician
    Medical University of South Carolina
    Charleston, SC, United States

    Disclosure information not submitted.

    • Senior Author(s)

  • JG

    Justin S. Golub, MD, MS

    Associate Professor
    Columbia University
    New York, NY, United States

    Disclosure(s):

    faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.