Noise Sensitivity and Disability Retirement: A Longitudinal Twin Study

OBJECTIVE:To analyze whether noise sensitivity increases the risk of disability pension (DP). METHODS:Questionnaire data of a sample of 706 Finnish twin individuals (age range, 31 to 65 years) with record linkage to information on DP during 16 years of follow-up were analyzed using individual and pairwise Cox proportional hazards models. RESULTS:Noise sensitivity increased the risk of DP (hazard ratio = 1.41; 95% confidence interval [CI]1.03 to 1.93) and DP due to musculoskeletal disorders (hazard ratio = 1.63; 95% CI1.00 to 2.66). In within-pair analyses, noise sensitivity increased the risk of DPamong all twin pairs, odds ratio was 1.80 (95% CI1.08 to 3.06). CONCLUSIONS:Noise sensitivity may be a potential risk factor for disability retirement. It is associated with DP independently of familial background and genetic factors.