Epidemiology and Environmental Risk Factors Associated with Vestibular Schwannoma

Objective Vestibular schwannomas (VS) are tumors originating from the eighth cranial nerve. The etiology and environmental risk factors for VS remain unclear. The goal of this study was to explore some potential environmental risk factors associated with vestibular schwannoma (VS). Methods A hospital-based case-control study with 1:1 matching based on age and sex was designed. A written questionnaire was administered. Multiple conditional logistic regression models were created to determine odds ratio (OR). Results There were 353 matched pairs with an average age at diagnosis of 53 years (SD ± 12), 50% of participants were female, and >90% were white. Multivariate models revealed significantly increased OR with a history of hay fever (OR = 3.91, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.35–11.30) and managerial/professional occupations (OR = 4.41, 95% CI = 2.07–9.40). Tobacco use had a decreased association with VS (