Hearing loss (hearing loss) in older people is associated with a deterioration in physical function, frailty syndrome and disability in the instrumental activities of daily life, according to a study carried out by researchers from the CIBER of Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP ) at the Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM), the Donostia University Hospital and the Ramón y Cajal University Hospital, with the collaboration of the Madrid Institute for Advanced Studies (IMDEA) Food.
Undoubtedly, hearing loss is an increasingly prevalent health condition and it is estimated that more than 460 million people worldwide suffer from it to a greater or lesser extent.
Thus, analyzing its causes and determining associations with other diseases or disabilities in older people has been the object of this research, which has analyzed data from 1,644 participants over 65 years of age in the Spanish study ENRICA Seniors-2. The results have been published in JAMA Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery .
As explained by the CIBERESP researcher at the UAM Humberto Yévenes, a predoctoral student at the Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health of the UAM and the first signatory of the work: “our results showed a high prevalence of hearing loss that became even more pronounced the more The frequency studied was high and we observed in parallel the deterioration of the instrumental activities of daily life, of the physical function and the increase of frailty ”.
Researchers have estimated that hearing loss is associated with a twofold increased chance of impaired physical function, frailty, and disability, although the mechanisms behind these results remain to be determined. In this regard, the UAM professor Francisco Félix Caballero, second signatory of the work, specifies that “more research is necessary on the matter, because if it is determined that hearing loss is a marker of frailty, a medical check-up should be considered for detect a possible fragile state ”.
The study finds that if hearing loss contributes significantly to frailty, proper treatment can delay physical decline and lead to healthier aging.
Increases the risk of falls and depression
UAM professor Esther López-García, senior author of the work, comments: “There are several potential pathways that relate hearing loss to physical function, since vestibular function is responsible for balance. Furthermore, the associations found may indicate that other common biological mechanisms may be damaged ”. Various investigations on the subject also suggest that hearing loss increases the risk of accidental falls, social isolation, and the risk of depression, factors considered in this study as potential mediators of the association.
Although longitudinal studies are needed to confirm the results found, this study contributes to a better understanding of the association between loss of hearing function and functional capacity.
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Bibliographic reference:
Yévenes-Briones, H., Caballero, FF, Struijk, EA, Rey-Martinez, J., Montes-Jovellar, L., Graciani, A., Rodríguez-Artalejo, F., Lopez-Garcia, E. 2021. Association Between Hearing Loss and Impaired Physical Function, Frailty, and Disability in Older Adults: A Cross-sectional Study . JAMA otolaryngology - head & neck surgery 147 (11): 951-958 . DOI: 10.1001 / jamaoto.2021.2399
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