A new study published Tuesday, June 11th in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) indicates that hearing loss is associated with poorer health and increased hospitalization in older adults.

“Hearing loss is a chronic condition that affects nearly 2 of every 3 adults aged 70 years or older in the United States. Hearing loss has broader implications for older adults, being independently associated with poorer cognitive and physical function,” writes Dane J. Genther, MD, of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, and colleagues, in a research letter.

The authors, who include Hearing Review contributor Frank R. Lin, MD, PhD, investigated the association of hearing loss with hospitalization and burden of disease in a nationally representative study of adults 70 years of age or older.

The researchers analyzed combined data from the 2005-2006 and 2009-2010 cycles of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).

The authors found that compared with individuals with normal hearing, individuals with hearing loss were more likely to have a positive history for cardiovascular risk factors, have a history of hospitalization in the past year, and have more hospitalizations. In addition, researchers write, “fully adjusted models, accounting for demographic and cardiovascular risk factors, demonstrated that a 25dB increase in hearing loss was significantly associated with any hospitalization, number of hospitalizations, more than 10 days of self-reported poor physical health, and more than 10 days of self-reported poor mental health.”

-Content provided by Hearing Review