Associations of Hearing Loss and Depressive Symptoms With Incident Disability in Older Adults: Health, Aging, and Body Composition Study. (17th December 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Armstrong, Nicole M; Deal, Jennifer A; Betz, Joshua; Kritchevsky, Stephen; Pratt, Sheila; Harris, Tamara; Barry, Lisa C; Simonsick, Eleanor M; Lin, Frank R
• Editors: Magaziner, Jay
• Is Part Of: Journals of gerontology. Volume 75:Number 3(2020)
• Page Start: 531
• Page End: 536
• Publication Date: 2018-12-17
• Subjects: Hearing loss -- Depressive symptoms -- ADL disability -- Mobility disability; Geriatrics -- Periodicals; Gerontology -- Periodicals; 618.97
• DOI: 10.1093/gerona/gly251
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1079-5006

Abstract

Abstract: Background: Depressive symptoms and hearing loss (HL) are independently associated with increased risk of incident disability; whether the increased risk is additive is unclear. Methods: Cox Proportional Hazards models were used to assess joint associations of HL (normal, mild, moderate/severe) and late-life depressive symptoms (defined by a score of ≥8 on the 10-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression scale) with onset of mobility disability (a lot of difficulty or inability to walk ¼ mile and/or climb 10 steps) and any disability in activities of daily living (ADL), among 2, 196 participants of the Health, Aging and Body Composition Study, a cohort of well-functioning older adults aged 70–79 years. Models were adjusted for age, race, sex, education, diabetes, hypertension, and body mass index. Results: Relative to participants with normal hearing and without depressive symptoms, participants without depressive symptoms who had mild or moderate/severe HL had increased risk of incident mobility and ADL disability (hazard ratio [HR] for mobility disability, mild HL:1.34, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.09, 1.64 and HR for mobility disability, moderate/severe HL: 1.37, 95% CI: 1.08, 1.75 and HR for ADL disability, mild HL: 1.32, 95% CI: 1.08, 1.63, and HR for ADL disability, moderate/severe HL: 1.42, 95% CI: 1.11, 1.82). Among participants with depressive symptoms, mild HL (HR: 1.71, 95% CI: 1.09, 2.70) was associated with increased risk of incident mobility disability. Conclusions: Independent of depressive symptoms, risk of incident disability was greater in older adults with HL, regardless of severity. Further research into HL interventions may delay disability onset.