Associations between age-related hearing loss, cognitive decline, and depression in Chinese centenarians and oldest-old adults

Abstract

Objective: Age-related hearing loss (ARHL) and age-related cognitive decline (ARCD) are leading causes of disability in older adults. ARHL may increase ARCD risk and cause depression development. This study aimed to explore the associations of ARHL with ARCD and depression in Chinese centenarians and oldest-old adults. Methods: A household survey was conducted on 859 centenarians and oldest-old adults residing in 16 cities and counties in China. Basic information was collected using interview questionnaires, physical examinations, and blood tests conducted by systematically trained local doctors and nurses. Results: In total, 501 (58.3%), 649 (75.6%), and 211 (24.6%) participants had ARHL, ARCD, and depression, respectively. The prevalence of ARCD and depression was significantly higher in participants with ARHL than in those without ARHL (all p < 0.05). Participants with ARHL had significantly lower Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores indicative of more cognitive decline, and significantly higher 15-item version of the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15) scores suggesting greater levels of depression, than those without ARHL (all p < 0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analyses (Stepwise) indicated that ARHL was significantly and positively associated with ARCD [odds ratio (OR): 1.594, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.132, 2.245] and depression (OR: 1.623, 95% CI: 1.139, 2.314; all p < 0.05). Multivariate linear regression analyses (Stepwise) indicated that ARHL was significantly and inversely associated with MMSE scores ( B: −2.520, 95% CI: −3.356, −1.684) and significantly and positively associated with GDS-15 scores ( B: 0.713, 95% CI: 0.328, 1.098; all p < 0.05). Conclusion: ARHL is independently associated with ARCD and depression in Chinese centenarians and oldest-old adults.

Long-term trends in the incidence of depressive disorders in China, the United States, India and globally: A comparative study from 1990 to 2019

“…First of all, with the increase of age, people’s physical functions continue to decline, and they are more likely to suffer from various diseases, such as hypercortisolemia, hypertension and diabetes ( Brown et al, 2004 ), as well as injuries and even physical disabilities. In addition, muscle strength tends to weaken and hearing loss occurs with age, and previous studies have linked muscle weakness and age-related hearing loss to depressive disorders ( Chen et al, 2020 ; Feng et al, 2022 ). Besides, some drugs used to treat diseases of the elderly may have side effects and increase the risk of depressive disorders ( Beers and Passman, 1990 ; You et al, 2013 ).…”

Roles for c-Abl in postoperative neurodegeneration

“…In addition, similar studies have also shown that c-Abl blocker imatinib can significantly reduce plasma Aβ protein levels [77]. Intraperitoneal injection of the drug into AD model mice can not only ameliorate cognitive decline but also reduce neuronal apoptosis and Tau protein phosphorylation [78]. In addition, a study on AD-related diseases in humans showed that the level of c-Abl in the brains of AD patients was obviously higher than that in the brains of controls.…”

Associations between lipid profiles and late‐life cognitive impairment among oldest‐old and centenarian adults

“…Education is a significant demographic factor influencing MMSE 41 . The optimal cut‐off points for defining cognitive impairment were determined based on education levels and established based on previous literatures 42–44 . In these literatures, MMSE was proved to be feasible among Chinese for cognitive impairment screening.…”

“…In these literatures, MMSE was proved to be feasible among Chinese for cognitive impairment screening. Cognitive impairment was defined as: MMSE ≤ 17 for illiteracy; MMSE ≤ 20 for primary school (1–6 years of education), and MMSE ≤ 24 for middle or higher school (more than 6 years of education) 42–44 …”