{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,23]],"date-time":"2025-10-23T08:29:47Z","timestamp":1761208187668,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":36,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"21","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,23]],"date-time":"2025-10-23T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1761177600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"2023 Inje University Research Grant"},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100014188","name":"Korean government","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["RS-2022-NR073383","NRF-RS-2023-00210073"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["RS-2022-NR073383","NRF-RS-2023-00210073"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100014188","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JCM"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Objectives: The association between tinnitus and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) has received attention; however, the mechanisms linking both conditions with diverse outcomes are still unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the association between OSA risk and tinnitus, including the OSA-related characteristics affecting tinnitus. Methods: We included participants aged 40\u201365 years with auditory examinations and STOP-BANG questionnaire between 2019 and 2021 from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data. Possible causative factors for tinnitus were identified using logistic regression analysis. Participants in the low- and high-risk groups for OSA were 1:1 matched using propensity score matching to compare the possible causative factors. Results: The high-risk group exhibited a higher incidence of tinnitus, persistence, and severity. However, when the causative factors of tinnitus were matched, no significant differences were observed. The most likely contributing factors were high-frequency hearing level in the worse ear for the experience and persistence of tinnitus and smoking for the severity of tinnitus. The high-risk group experienced tinnitus more often than the low-risk group, with no differences between the groups when tinnitus-affective factors were controlled. Conclusions: These findings suggest that tinnitus is unaffected by OSA itself but by the hearing loss that accompanies OSA.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/jcm14217492","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,23]],"date-time":"2025-10-23T08:14:04Z","timestamp":1761207244000},"page":"7492","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Exploring a Possible Link Between Tinnitus and the Risk of Obstructive Sleep Apnea\u2014A National Population-Based Cohort Study Using Propensity Score Matching Analysis"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0390-8415","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Seung Jae","family":"Lee","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Ilsan Paik Hospital, Inje University College of Medicine, 170, Juhwa-ro, Ilsanseo-gu, Goyang 10380, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9499-7902","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Song I","family":"Park","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Ilsan Paik Hospital, Inje University College of Medicine, 170, Juhwa-ro, Ilsanseo-gu, Goyang 10380, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3538-7252","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ick Soo","family":"Choi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Ilsan Paik Hospital, Inje University College of Medicine, 170, Juhwa-ro, Ilsanseo-gu, Goyang 10380, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Hyun Jin","family":"Lee","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Incheon St. Mary\u2019s Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul 21431, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2793-9045","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jeon Mi","family":"Lee","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Ilsan Paik Hospital, Inje University College of Medicine, 170, Juhwa-ro, Ilsanseo-gu, Goyang 10380, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,23]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Lee, S.J., Park, J., Lee, S.Y., Koo, J.W., Vanneste, S., De Ridder, D., Lim, S., and Song, J.J. 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