Markers of inflammatory status are associated with hearing threshold in older people: findings from the Hertfordshire Ageing Study.

Background: Age-related hearing loss is a common disabling condition but its causes are not well understood and the role of inflammation as an influencing factor has received little consideration in the literature.

Objective: To investigate the association between inflammatory markers and hearing in community-dwelling older men and women.

Design: Cross-sectional analysis within a cohort study.