Aetiologies of acquired deafblindness in a national sample. (May 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Teglbjærg, Jonas Henau; Hovaldt, Hanna Birkbak; Lehane, Christine; Dammeyer, Jesper
• Is Part Of: British journal of visual impairment. Volume 36:Number 2(2018:May)
• Page Start: 175
• Page End: 189
• Publication Date: 2018-05
• Subjects: Aetiology -- deafblindness -- dual sensory loss -- hearing loss -- vision loss; People with visual disabilities -- Periodicals; Blind -- Periodicals; Vision disorders -- Periodicals; Blindness -- Periodicals; People with visual disabilities -- Services for -- Great Britain -- Periodicals; Blind -- Services for -- Great Britain -- Periodicals; 362.4105
• DOI: 10.1177/0264619618758352
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0264-6196

Abstract

The present study provides an overview of aetiologies and co-morbidities of acquired deafblindness in a Danish national sample of 514 individuals above 50 years of age identified with acquired deafblindness. Information was obtained from a survey and a register. The most frequent aetiology of vision loss was age-related macular degeneration (55.4%). The most frequent aetiology of hearing loss was presbycusis (53.7%). The most frequent aetiology of acquired deafblindness was the combination of age-related macular degeneration and presbycusis (41.5%). However, among the younger participants (50–59 years of age), Usher syndrome was the most common aetiology (62.5%). The aetiologies of acquired deafblindness are many and constituted by several different combinations of hearing and vision loss aetiologies. The most frequent aetiologies are age related.