Premium
Age‐Related Sensory Impairments and Risk of Cognitive Impairment
Author(s) -
Fischer Mary E.,
Cruickshanks Karen J.,
Schubert Carla R.,
Pinto Alex A.,
Carlsson Cynthia M.,
Klein Barbara E. K.,
Klein Ronald,
Tweed Ted S.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
journal of the american geriatrics society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.992
H-Index - 232
eISSN - 1532-5415
pISSN - 0002-8614
DOI - 10.1111/jgs.14308
Subject(s) - medicine , audiology , dementia , visual impairment , population , cognition , cognitive impairment , confidence interval , olfaction , hearing loss , hazard ratio , disease , psychiatry , psychology , neuroscience , environmental health
Objectives To evaluate the associations between sensory impairments and 10‐year risk of cognitive impairment. Design The Epidemiology of Hearing Loss Study ( EHLS ), a longitudinal, population‐based study of aging in the Beaver Dam, Wisconsin community. Baseline examinations were conducted in 1993 and follow‐up examinations have been conducted every 5 years. Setting General community. Participants EHLS members without cognitive impairment at EHLS ‐2 (1998–2000). There were 1,884 participants (mean age 66.7) with complete EHLS ‐2 sensory data and follow‐up information. Measurements Cognitive impairment was defined as a Mini‐Mental State Examination score of <24 or history of dementia or Alzheimer's disease. Hearing impairment was a pure‐tone average of hearing thresholds (0.5, 1, 2, 4 kHz) of >25 dB hearing level in either ear, visual impairment was a Pelli‐Robson contrast sensitivity of <1.55 log units in the better eye, and olfactory impairment was a San Diego Odor Identification Test score of <6. Results Hearing, visual, and olfactory impairment were independently associated with cognitive impairment risk (hearing: hazard ratio ( HR ) = 1.90, 95% confidence interval ( CI ) = 1.11–3.26; vision: HR = 2.05, 95% CI = 1.24–3.38; olfaction: HR = 3.92, 95% CI = 2.45–6.26)). Nevertheless, 85% of participants with hearing impairment, 81% with visual impairment, and 76% with olfactory impairment did not develop cognitive impairment during follow‐up. Conclusion The relationship between sensory impairment and cognitive impairment was not unique to one sensory system, suggesting that sensorineural health may be a marker of brain aging. The development of a combined sensorineurocognitive measure may be useful in uncovering mechanisms of healthy brain aging.