The Impact of Hearing Impairment on Health Indicators in a Multiethnic Population of Older Adults in Singapore

Abstract

Background and Objectives To determine the impact of hearing impairment (HI) on health indicators in a multi-ethnic Singaporean population of older adults. Research Design and Methods In this cross-sectional, population-based study, pure-tone averages of air-conduction thresholds at 500Hz, 1000Hz, 2000Hz and 4000Hz were calculated for each ear. Eight categories of HI were defined ranging from: 1: No HI to 8: Bilateral severe HI. Health indicators included hearing-related quality of life (H-QoL), depressive symptoms, frailty, gait speed, IADLs, sarcopenia, and cognitive impairment. Multivariable regression models determined the independent associations between HI and outcomes. Results A total of 2,503 older adults (mean age±SD 73.4±8.4; 55.2% female) were enrolled. Of these, 289 (11.6%), 259 (10.4%), 798 (31.9%), 303 (12.1%), 515 (20.6%), 52 (2.1%), 155 (6.2%) and 115 (4.6%) had hearing levels in Cats 1 to 8, respectively; and 20 (0.8%) used a hearing aid. Compared to those with no HI, participants with unilateral mild HI (Cat 2) had a 107% reduction in H-QoL (β: 0.63; CI: 0.18, 1.09, p=0.006), increasing to a 2816% reduction (β: 16.78; CI: 13.25, 20.31, p<0.001) in those with bilateral severe HI-Cat 8 (p-trend <0.001). Those with Cat 8 also had lower gait speed and we observed a non-siginficant increase in odds of frailty as HI worsened. Discussion and Implications H-QoL is affected across the spectrum of severity and laterality of HI. Interventions to alleviate the effects of HI and provision of QoL support are warranted. Other health indicators were only affected in late stages, suggesting that slowing disease progression is crucial in clinical management.