Relationship of hearing impairment to dementia and cognitive dysfunction in older adults

R. F. Uhlmann, E. B. Larson, T. S. Rees, T. D. Koepsell and L. G. Duckert
Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle.

We conducted a case-control study in 100 cases who had Alzheimer's-type dementia and 100 age-, sex-, and education-matched, nondemented controls to evaluate the hypothesis that hearing impairment contributes to cognitive dysfunction in older adults. The prevalence of a hearing loss of 30 dB or greater was significantly higher in cases than in controls (odds ratio, 2.0; 95% confidence interval, 1.2 to 3.4), even when adjusted for potentially confounding variables. In addition, we observed a dose-response relationship in which greater hearing loss was associated with a higher adjusted relative odds of having dementia. Hearing loss was also significantly and independently correlated with the severity of cognitive dysfunction, as measured by the Mini-Mental State Examination, in nondemented as well as demented patients. These results demonstrate an association between hearing impairment and dementia and lend support to the hypothesis that hearing impairment contributes to cognitive dysfunction in older adults.

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES

Prevalence of Hearing Loss and Differences by Demographic Characteristics Among US Adults: Data From the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1999-2004
Agrawal et al.
Arch Intern Med 2008;168:1522-1530.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Examination of the Relationship Among Hearing Impairment, Linguistic Communication, Mood, and Social Engagement of Residents in Complex Continuing-Care Facilities
Brink and Stones
Gerontologist 2007;47:633-641.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Vision Impairment and Hearing Loss Among Community-Dwelling Older Americans: Implications for Health and Functioning
Crews and Campbell
Am. J. Public Health 2004;94:823-829.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Screening and Management of Adult Hearing Loss in Primary Care: Scientific Review
Yueh et al.
JAMA 2003;289:1976-1985.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Screening and Management of Adult Hearing Loss in Primary Care: Clinical Applications
Bogardus et al.
JAMA 2003;289:1986-1990.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

A Prospective Study of the Cost-Utility of the Multichannel Cochlear Implant
Palmer et al.
Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 1999;125:1221-1228.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Management of Alzheimer's Disease in a Primary Care Setting
Larson
AJGP 1998;6:34S-40.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

The Relationship of Vision and Hearing Impairment to One-Year Mortality and Functional Decline
Laforge et al.
J Aging Health 1992;4:126-148.
ABSTRACT