Moderate or Greater Hearing Loss in Older Adults Associated with Functional Difficulties

by How are hearing loss and hearing aids associated with functional status? •

CLINICAL QUESTION

How are hearing loss and hearing aids associated with functional status?

BOTTOM LINE

Moderate or greater hearing loss was found to be associated with functional difficulties and may contribute to a faster decline in function; hearing aids did not change the association among those with hearing loss.

BACKGROUND: Hearing loss may contribute to poor functional status, which is associated with reduced life expectancy. Hearing aids may play a protective role by attenuating these downstream outcomes. Although hearing loss affects nearly two-thirds of U.S. adults over 70 years of age, evidence on its association with functional status among this population remains scarce.

STUDY DESIGN: Data study

SETTING: Cochlear Center for Hearing and Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore

SYNOPSIS: Researchers performed analyses of data yielded from Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities, a prospective cohort study of 15,792 adults aged 45 to 64 years at baseline (1987 to 1989). Hearing was measured at visit six (2016–2017), at which point 3,690 of participants had data on hearing and functional status. Of these, 3,142 (58.2% female, mean age 79.3 years) were included in the analysis. A total of 1,828 had no hearing loss, 1,220 had mild hearing loss, and 909 had moderate or greater hearing loss. Approximately 11.6% of participants with mild and 55.9% of those with moderate or greater hearing loss reported hearing aid use. Main outcomes and measures included difficulties in activities of daily living (ADL), instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), and heavier tasks. Findings showed that moderate or greater hearing loss was cross-sectionally associated with difficulty in one or more ADLs, IADLs, and heavier tasks compared with no hearing loss. Over time, moderate or greater hearing loss was associated with a faster decline in number of activities participants could do. Hearing aid users and nonusers did not differ. Study limitations include possible residual confounding from unmeasured variables, such as vestibular function.

CITATION: Assi S, Twardzik E, Kucharska-Newton AM, et al. Hearing loss, hearing aids, and functional status. JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2024;150:705-712.