Challenges in Providing Care for Patients with Chronic Diseases during Disasters: A Qualitative Study with Focus on Diabetes and Chronic Respiratory Diseases in Iran.

Background: Non-communicable diseases are of the major health challenges and the leading cause of death in Iran and at the global level. Moreover, Iran is a disaster-prone country and considering the exacerbation of diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases in natural disasters, its healthcare system is facing challenges. This study was designed to explore challenges in providing healthcare services to patients with diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases during disasters in Iran. Materials and Methods: The conventional content analysis is used in this qualitative study. Participants included 46 patients with diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases, and 36 of stakeholders were experienced and had theoretical knowledge. Participants' selection started by means of purposive sampling and continued to the point of data saturation. Data collection was carried out employing semi-structured interviews. Data analysis was performed using Graneheim and Lundman method. Results: Based on participants' experiences, four major challenges in providing care to patients with diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases during natural disasters include integrated management (with three subcategories: control and supervision, patient data management, volunteer management), physical, psychosocial health (with three subcategories: psychological impacts, exacerbation of signs and symptoms, special patient characteristics), health literacy and the behavior (with three subcategories: risk perception, values and beliefs, education and awareness) and barriers to healthcare delivery (with three subcategories: facilities and human resources, financial and living problems and insurances, accessibilities and geographic access). Conclusion: Developing countermeasures against medical monitoring system shutdown in order to detect medical needs and problems faced by chronic disease patients including those with diabetes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), is essential in preparedness for future disasters. Developing effective solutions may result in improved preparedness and better planning of diabetic and COPD patients for disasters, and potentially promote health outcomes during and after disasters.

Potential drug-drug interactions in a multi-center study of death cases of COVID-19: The significance of appropriate drug choice.

OBJECTIVES: The prevalence, types, severity, risk ratings, and common pairs of involved drugs, and the most important potential drug-drug interactions (pDDIs) in coronavirus disease 2019 (-COVID-19) deceased cases were evaluated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We reviewed the medical records of 157 confirmed COVID-19 deceased cases hospitalized in 27 province-wide hospitals. Patients' demographics and clinical data (including comorbidities, vital signs, length of in-hospital survival, electrocardiograms (ECGs), medications, and lab test results) were extracted. The online Lexi-interact database and Stockley's drug interactions reference were used to detect pDDIs retrospectively. The QTc interval and total Tisdale risk score were also calculated. Descriptive analysis, analysis of variance, Fisher exact test, and multivariate analysis were conducted for data analysis. RESULTS: Of 157 study cases, 63% were male, had a mean age of 68 years, and 55.7% had one or more underlying diseases. All patients had polypharmacy, with 69.2% having ≥ 15 drugs/day. We detected 2,416 pDDIs in patients' records, of which 658 (27.2%) were interactions with COVID drugs. Lopinavir/ritonavir among -COVID drugs and fentanyl among non-COVID drugs were commonly involved in the interactions. pDDIs was significantly higher in the polypharmacy group of ≥ 15 medications (p < 0.001). A majority (83%) had received drug(s) with the QTc prolongation effect, of whom 67% had actual QTc prolongations in their ECGs. The regression analysis showed that by increasing 6.7% in polypharmacy, one day increase in-hospital survival can be expected. Moreover, an increase of 2.3% in white blood cells or 10.5% in serum potassium level decreased in-hospital survival by 1%. CONCLUSION: The findings underscored the importance of careful drug choice, especially in the hectic search for early treatments in pandemics of novel diseases. Close monitoring of patients' drug choice is warranted for reducing pDDIs and their adverse effects in any new disease outbreak.

A qualitative evaluation of the challenges in management for patients with chronic diseases during disasters in Iran.

BACKGROUND: Iran's health care system faces significant challenges in managing the growing burden of non-communicable diseases, and these are exacerbated during the frequent natural disasters. The current study was designed to understand challenges in providing healthcare services to patients with diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases during such crisis periods. METHODS: The conventional content analysis was used in this qualitative study. Participants included 46 patients with diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases, and 36 stakeholders with knowledge and experience in disasters. Data collection was carried out employing semi-structured interviews. Data analysis was performed using Graneheim and Lundman method. RESULTS: Four major challenges in providing care to patients with diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases during natural disasters include integrated management, physical, psychosocial health, health literacy and the behavior and barriers to healthcare delivery. CONCLUSIONS: Developing countermeasures against medical monitoring system shutdown in order to detect medical needs and problems faced by chronic disease patients including those with diabetes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), is essential in preparedness for future disasters. Developing effective solutions may result in improved preparedness and better planning of diabetic and COPD patients for disasters.

Socioeconomic inequalities in prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of hypertension: evidence from the PERSIAN cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Elevated blood pressure is associated with cardiovascular disease, stroke and chronic kidney disease. In this study, we examined the socioeconomic inequality and its related factors in prevalence, Awareness, Treatment and Control (ATC) of hypertension (HTN) in Iran. METHOD: The study used data from the recruitment phase of The Prospective Epidemiological Research Studies in IrAN (PERSIAN). A sample of 162,842 adults aged > = 35 years was analyzed. HTN was defined according to the Joint National Committee)JNC-7(. socioeconomic inequality was measured using concentration index (Cn) and curve. RESULTS: The mean age of participants was 49.38(SD = ± 9.14) years and 44.74% of the them were men. The prevalence of HTN in the total population was 22.3%(95% CI: 20.6%; 24.1%), and 18.8%(95% CI: 16.8%; 20.9%) and 25.2%(95% CI: 24.2%; 27.7%) in men and women, respectively. The percentage of awareness treatment and control among individuals with HTN were 77.5%(95% CI: 73.3%; 81.8%), 82.2%(95% CI: 70.2%; 81.6%) and 75.9%(95% CI: 70.2%; 81.6%), respectively. The Cn for prevalence of HTN was -0.084. Two factors, age (58.46%) and wealth (32.40%), contributed most to the socioeconomic inequality in the prevalence of HTN. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of HTN was higher among low-SES individuals, who also showed higher levels of awareness. However, treatment and control of HTN were more concentrated among those who had higher levels of SES, indicating that people at a higher risk of adverse event related to HTN (the low SES individuals) are not benefiting from the advantage of treatment and control of HTN. Such a gap between diagnosis (prevalence) and control (treatment and control) of HTN needs to be addressed by public health policymakers.

The Policy Gap and Inefficiency in Public Volunteers' Response to Assist the Hospitals After Natural Disasters in Iran: A Grounded Theory Methodology.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to explore a public volunteer's hospital response model in natural disasters in Iran. METHODS: This study employed grounded theory using the Strauss and Corbin 2008 method and data analysis was carried out in three steps, namely open, axial, and selective coding. The present qualitative study was done using semi-structured interviews with 36 participants who were on two levels and with different experiences in responding to emergencies and disasters as "public volunteers" and "experts". National and local experts were comprised of professors in the field of disaster management, hospital managers, Red Crescent experts, staff and managers of Iran Ministry of Health and Medical Education. RESULTS: The main concept of the paradigm model was "policy gap and inefficiency" in the management of public volunteers, which was rooted in political factions, ethnicity, regulations, and elites. The policy gap and inefficiency led to chaos and "crises over crises." Overcoming the policy gap will result in hospital disaster resilience. Meanwhile, the model covered the causal, contextual, and intervening conditions, strategies, and consequences in relation to the public volunteers' hospital response phase. CONCLUSIONS: The current public volunteers' hospital in Iran suffered from the lack of a coherent, comprehensive, and forward-looking plan for their response. The most important beneficiaries of this paradigm model will be for health policy-makers, to clarify the main culprits of creating policy gap and inefficiency in Iran and other countries with a similar context. It can guide the decision-makings in upstream documents on the public volunteers. Further research should carried out to improve the understanding of the supportive legal framework, building the culture of volunteering, and enhancing volunteers' retention rate.

Prevalence and predictors of low back pain among the Iranian population: Results from the Persian cohort study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Low back pain (LBP) is a common health condition in populations. Limited large-scale population-based studies evaluated the prevalence and predictors of LBP in developing countries. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence and factors associated with LBP among the Iranian population. METHODS: We used baseline information from the Prospective Epidemiological Research Studies in Iran (PERSIAN), including individuals from 16 provinces of Iran. LBP was defined as the history of back pain interfering with daily activities for more than one week during an individual's lifetime. Various factors hypothesized to affect LBP, such as age, sex, marital status, educational status, ethnicity, living area, employment status, history of smoking, body mass index (BMI), physical activity, sleep duration, wealth score, history of joint pain, and history of morning stiffness in the joints were evaluated. RESULTS: In total, 163770 Iranians with a mean age of 49.37 (SD = 9.15) were included in this study, 44.8% of whom were male. The prevalence of LBP was 25.2% among participants. After adjusting for confounders, the female gender [OR:1.244(1.02-1.50)], middle and older ages [OR:1.23(1.10-1.33) and OR:1.13(1.07-1.42), respectively], being overweight or obese [OR:1.13(1.07-1.19) and OR:1.21(1.16-1.27), respectively], former and current smokers (OR:1.25(1.16-1.36) and OR:1.28(1.17-1.39), respectively], low physical activity [OR:1.07(1.01-1.14)], and short sleep duration [OR: 1.09(1.02-1.17)] were significantly associated with LBP. CONCLUSION: In this large-scale study, we found the lifetime prevalence of LBP to be lower among the Iranian population in comparison to the global prevalence of LBP; further studies are warranted to evaluate the causality of risk factors on LBP.

Establishing the Status of Patients With Non-Communicable Diseases in Disaster: A Systematic Review.

OBJECTIVE: People with NCDs are particularly vulnerable to disasters. This research systematically reviewed reports describing studies on the status of patients with NCDs before, during and after disasters. METHOD: Relevant articles published from 1997 to 2019 were collected by searching the Scopus, PubMed, and Science Direct databases. We specifically examined reports describing NCDs and including the key words 'Non-Communicable Disease and Disasters.' NCDs include cardiovascular, respiratory, diabetes and cancer diseases. RESULTS: The review identified 42 relevant articles. Most of the included studies were found to have described the conditions of patients with NCDs after disasters - 14 (13.3%), during disasters - 11 (26.2%), before disasters - 6 (14.3%), within all stages of disasters: before, during and after - 6 (14.3%), only during and after disasters - 4 (9.5%), and includes before and during disasters - 1 (2.4%). CONCLUSION: NCDs pose major health issues in disasters. Development of strong counter measures against the interruption of treatment, as well as surveillance systems to ascertain medical needs for NCDs are necessary as preparation for future disasters.

Identifying and Describing Impact of Disasters on Non-Communicable Diseases: A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: Patients with non-communicable diseases are vulnerable to disasters. This is a systematic review describing the impact of disasters on non-communicable diseases. METHODS: A systematic review was conducted using PRISMA standards. Relevant articles published from 1997 to 2019 collected by searching the Scopus, PubMed, Science Direct, databases. We specifically examined reports describing NCDs and including the key words "non-communicable disease and Disasters". NCDs included cardiovascular, respiratory, diabetes, cancer and mental health diseases. RESULTS: Of the 663 studies identified, only 48 articles met all the eligibility criteria. Most studies have shown the impact of all natural disasters on non-communicable diseases (39.8% n=19). The largest study was the effect of earthquakes on non-communicable diseases (29.2% n=14). For the NCDs targeted by this research, most of the included studies were a combination of four diseases: cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, diabetes and cancer (44% n=21). Followed by cardiovascular disease (14.6% n=7), chronic respiratory disease (12.5% n=6), diabetes and cancer (6.2% n=3) and mental health (12.5% n=6). CONCLUSION: The incidence of disasters affects the management of treatment and care for patients with NCDs. Specific measures include a multi-part approach to ensuring that patients with non-communicable diseases have access to life-saving services during and after disasters. The approach of the health system should be expanded from traditional approaches to disasters and requires comprehensive planning of health care by policy makers and health professionals to develop effective strategies to enable patients to access medical, therapeutic and diagnostic services in natural disasters.

Determining factors on volunteers' presence in hospital response to disasters and emergencies: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Volunteers' presence, as a critical issue in hospital response to disasters and emergencies, helps to readiness and quick response to the phenomena, preventing deaths caused by such incidences. This study aimed to determine the main factors affecting popular volunteers' presence in hospital response to disasters and emergencies in Iran. METHODS: This qualitative study, conducted on 31 semi-structured interviews during the years 2019 and 2020, concerning emergency specialist working in various health organization nationwide between June 2019 and April 2020. The non-structured and semi-structured interviews were adopted to gather concept code and analyzed using Graneheim recommendation method. RESULTS: Four main categories, identified as effective factors on volunteers' presence in hospital response to disasters and emergencies, including nine subcategories: (1) organizing and managing volunteers (with two sub-categories: (a) calling and registering volunteers, and (b) identifying volunteers' ability); (2) organizational structure (with two sub-categories: (a) operational planning and (b) coordination and communication); (3) training (with two sub-categories: (a) training in disasters and (b) volunteer training); and (4) volunteer challenges (with three sub-categories: (a) volunteer interaction with organizations, (b) volunteer logistics, and (c) volunteering culture). CONCLUSIONS: Exploring effective factors as regards volunteers' presence in hospital response phase in disasters to adopt a policy based on the experiences of managers and heads of health can help planners to provide effective design and implementation. It can scientifically contribute to disaster risk management and hospital emergency response in Iran.

Non-communicable diseases in disasters: a protocol for a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: NCDs require an ongoing management for optimal outcomes, which is challenging in emergency settings, because natural disasters increase the risk of acute NCD exacerbations and lead to health systems' inability to respond. This study aims to develop a protocol for a systematic review on non-communicable diseases in natural disaster settings. METHODS: This systematic review protocol is submitted to the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (Registration No. CRD42020164032). The electronic databases to be used in this study include: Medline, Scopus, Web of Science, Clinical Key, CINAHL, EBSCO, Ovid, EMBASE, ProQuest, Google Scholar, Cochrane Library (Cochrane database of systematic reviews; Cochrane central Register of controlled Trials). Records from 1997 to 2019 are subject to this investigation. Three independent researchers will review the titles, abstracts, and full texts of articles eligible for inclusion, and if not matched, they will be reviewed by a final fourth reviewer. The proposed systematic review will be reported in accordance with the reporting guideline provided in the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) statement. We select studies based on: PICOs (Participants, Interventions, Comparators, and Outcomes). RESULTS: This systematic review identifies any impacts of natural disasters on patients with NCDs in three stages i.e. before, during and in the aftermath of natural disasters. CONCLUSIONS: A comprehensive response to NCD management in natural disasters is an important but neglected aspect of non-communicable disease control and humanitarian response, which can significantly reduce the potential risk of morbidity and mortality associated with natural disasters.

Decomposing socioeconomic inequality in dental caries in Iran: cross-sectional results from the PERSIAN cohort study.

BACKGROUND: The current study aimed to measure and decompose socioeconomic-related inequalities in DMFT (decayed, missing, and filled teeth) index among adults in Iran. METHODS: The study data were extracted from the adult component of Prospective Epidemiological Research Studies in IrAN (PERSIAN) from 17 centers in 14 different provinces of Iran. DMFT score was used as a measure of dental caries among adults in Iran. The concentration curve and relative concentration index (RC) was used to quantify and decompose socioeconomic-related inequalities in DMFT. RESULTS: A total of 128,813 adults aged 35 and older were included in the study. The mean (Standard Deviation [SD]) score of D, M, F and DMFT of the adults was 3.3 (4.6), 12.6 (10.5), 2.1 (3.4) and 18.0 (9.5), respectively. The findings suggested that DMFT was mainly concentrated among the socioeconomically disadvantaged adults (RC = - 0.064; 95% confidence interval [CI), - 0.066 to - 0.063). Socioeconomic status, being male, older age and being a widow or divorced were identified as the main factors contributing to the concentration of DMFT among the worse-off adults. CONCLUSIONS: It is recommended to focus on the dental caries status of socioeconomically disadvantaged groups in order to reduce socioeconomic-related inequality in oral health among Iranian adults. Reducing socioeconomic-related inequalities in dental caries should be accompanied by appropriate health promotion policies that focus actions on the fundamental socioeconomic causes of dental disease.

Socioeconomic-related inequalities in oral hygiene behaviors: a cross-sectional analysis of the PERSIAN cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Socioeconomic-related inequality in oral hygiene behaviors in Iran is poorly understood. This study aims to measure and decompose socioeconomic-related inequalities in oral hygiene behaviors among middle-aged and elderly adults in Iran. METHODS: A cross-sectional analysis was performed using data from the Prospective Epidemiological Research Studies in IrAN (PERSIAN), a large national cohort study. A total of 130,016 individuals aged 35 years and above from 17 cohort centers in Iran were included in the study. The normalized concentration index (Cn) was used to measure the magnitude of inequality in oral hygiene behaviors, i.e. brushing at least twice and flossing once daily, among middle-aged and elderly Iranian adults included in the cohort centers. Decomposition analysis was performed to quantify the contribution of each determinant to the observed inequality in oral hygiene behaviors. RESULTS: Totally, 65.5% of middle-aged and elderly adults brushed their teeth twice a day or more, 7.6% flossed at least once a day and 3.48% had both habits. The estimated Cn of the two habits combined, i.e. tooth brushing and dental flossing, for all provinces taken part in the PERSIAN cohort study was 0.399 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.383 to 0.417), indicating that the prevalence of the two habits combined is more concentrated among individuals with higher socioeconomic status. Inequality in oral hygiene behaviors was pro-rich in all cohort centers. The decomposition results suggested socioeconomic status as the main factor contributing to the overall inequality, followed by the level of education, and the province of residence. CONCLUSION: A low prevalence of oral hygiene behaviors among middle-aged and elderly Iranian adults was observed. There was also a pro-rich inequality in oral hygiene behaviors among middle-aged and elderly adults in all cohort centers. These results suggest an urgent need for targeted policy interventions to increase the prevalence of preventive oral hygiene behaviors among the poor and less-educated middle-aged and elderly adults in Iran.

The risk factors associated with MERS-CoV patient fatality: A global survey.

Risk factors associated with Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection outcome were established by analyses of WHO data from September 23, 2012 to 18 June 2018. Of the 2220 reported cases, 1408 cases, including 451 MERS-CoV deaths, were analyzed. The case fatality rate was 32% (95% CI: 29.4-34.5). Compared to MERS patients ≤30 years old, those with >30 years had the adjusted odds ratio estimate for death of 2.38 [95% CI: 1.75-3.22]. This index was 1.43 [95% CI: 1.06-1.92] for Saudi patients in comparison to non-Saudi; 1.76 [95% CI: 1.39-2.22] for patient with comorbidity in comparison to those without comorbidity; 0.58 [95% CI: 0.44-0.75] for those who had close contact to a camel in the past 14 days and 0.42 [95% CI: 0.31-0.57] for patients with >14 days with onset of signs and hospital admission compared to patients with ≤14 days.

The Burden of Premature Mortality Related to Suicide in West Azerbaijan From 2014 to 2016.

Background: Examining the premature death rate represents the first step in estimating the overall burden of disease, reflecting a full picture of how different causes affect population health and providing a way of monitoring and evaluating population health. Aims: This study was conducted to assess the burden of premature mortality from suicides in West Azerbaijan Province, northwest of Iran from 2014 to 2016. Method: To calculate years of potential life lost (YPLL), we categorized all methods of suicide, then we subtracted actual age at death by suicide from the relevant age-based life table produced by the World Health Organization in 2015, after which we added the results for each type of suicide in a particular year. Results: We analyzed 638 suicides. Overall, during the 3-year study period for both sexes, the greatest sources of premature death among all methods of suicide were: hanging, strangulation, and suffocation (X70); smoke, fire, and flames (X76); and poisoning by narcotics and psychodysleptics (X62). Limitations: Limitations of the study include a lack of accurate, systematic recording and reporting of all cases of suicide, which might lead to measurement bias. Conclusion: This study identified and highlighted the most common methods of suicide in West Azerbaijan.

Ovarian cancer stem cell: A potential therapeutic target for overcoming multidrug resistance.

The cancer stem cell (CSC) model encompasses an advantageous paradigm that in recent decades provides a better elucidation for many important biological aspects of cancer initiation, progression, metastasis, and, more important, development of multidrug resistance (MDR). Such several other hematological malignancies and solid tumors and the identification and isolation of ovarian cancer stem cells (OV-CSCs) show that ovarian cancer also follows this hierarchical model. Gaining a better insight into CSC-mediated resistance holds promise for improving current ovarian cancer therapies and prolonging the survival of recurrent ovarian cancer patients in the future. Therefore, in this review, we will discuss some important mechanisms by which CSCs can escape chemotherapy, and then review the recent and growing body of evidence that supports the contribution of CSCs to MDR in ovarian cancer.

DNA damage response and repair in colorectal cancer: Defects, regulation and therapeutic implications.

DNA damage response, a key factor involved in maintaining genome integrity and stability, consists of several kinase-dependent signaling pathways, which sense and transduce DNA damage signal. The severity of damage appears to determine DNA damage responses, which can include cell cycle arrest, damage repair and apoptosis. A number of recent studies have demonstrated that defection in signaling through this network is thought to be an underlying mechanism behind the development and progression of various types of human malignancies, including colorectal cancer. In this review, colorectal cancer and its molecular pathology as well as DNA damage response is briefly introduced. Finally, the involvement of key components of this network in the initiation/progression, prognosis, response to treatment and development of drug resistance is comprehensively discussed.

Quality of observational studies in prestigious journals of occupational medicine and health based on Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) Statement: a cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: The present study applied the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) statement to observational studies published in prestigious occupational medicine and health journals. RESULTS: A total of 60 articles was evaluated. All sub-items were reported in 63.74% (95% confidence interval [CI], 56.24-71.24%), not reported in 29.70% (95% CI, 20.2-39.2%), and not applicable in 6.56% (95% CI, 4.86-8.26%) of the studies. Of the 45 sub-items investigated in this survey, eight were reported 100% of the time, 13 were addressed in more than 90% of the articles, 22 were included in more than 75% of the studies, and 27 sub-items were applied in more than 50% of the articles published in the journals included in this study.

Epidemiological factors and worldwide pattern of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus from 2013 to 2016.

BACKGROUND: Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is an emerging threat to global health security with high intensity and lethality. This study was conducted to investigate epidemiological factors and patterns related to this disease. METHODS: Full details of MERS-CoV cases available on the disease outbreak news section of the World Health Organization official website from January 2013 to November 2016 were retrieved; demographic and clinical information, global distribution status, potential contacts, and probable risk factors for the mortality of laboratory-confirmed MERS-CoV cases were extracted and analyzed by following standard statistical methods. RESULTS: Details of 1,094 laboratory-confirmed cases were recorded, including 421 related deaths. Significant differences were observed in the presentation of the disease from year to year, and all studied parameters differed during the years under study (all P-values <0.05). Evaluation of the effects of various potential risk factors of the final outcome (dead/survived) revealed that two factors, namely, the morbid case being native and travel history, are significant based on a unifactorial analysis (P <0.05). From 2013 to 2016, these factors remained important. However, factors that were significant in predicting mortality varied in different years. CONCLUSION: These findings point to interesting potential dimensions in the dynamic of this disease. Furthermore, effective national and international preparedness plans and actions are essential to prevent, control, and predict such viral outbreaks; improve patient management; and ensure global health security.

Association between metabolic syndrome and sensorineural hearing loss: a cross-sectional study of 11,114 participants.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Hearing loss (HL) is associated with certain diseases and affects health, resulting in a low quality of life. Some components of the metabolic syndrome (MetS) coincide with the risk factors for sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL). To date, very few studies have examined the link between MetS and HL. The aim of the current study was to try to understand the potential association between MetS and HL. METHODS: Using Iranian health surveys of professional drivers, we enrolled 11,114 individuals aged 20-60 years, whose main job is to operate a motor vehicle. We examined participants for the presence and absence of SNHL and the components of the MetS. Additionally, we investigated the relationship between MetS and the pure tone air conduction hearing thresholds of participants with SNHL, including low-frequency and high-frequency thresholds. RESULTS: This cross-sectional study consisted of 11,114 participants: 3202 (28.81%) diagnosed with MetS and 7911 (71.18%) without and 2772 (24.94%) with SNHL and 8432 (75.86%) without. Participants with SNHL had a higher number of components of MetS (P<0.001 for all components). CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrated that an association possibly exists between different components of MetS (obesity, hypertension, hypertriglyceridemia, high fasting glucose levels, and waist circumference) and SNHL in a population of West Azerbaijan drivers. Therefore, it is important to schedule periodic checkups for drivers to detect and avoid the increase in MetS components at an early stage in this population.