Increased Risk of Dementia Following a Diagnosis of Hearing Impairment: A South Korean Nationwide Cohort Study

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Park, Minah^{a; b} | Jang, Sung-In^{a; c} | Hurh, Kyungduk^{a; c} | Park, Eun-Cheol^{a; c} | Kim, Seung Hoon^{a; b; d; *}

Affiliations: [a] Institute of Health Services Research, Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea | [b] Department of Preventive Medicine, Eulji University College of Medicine, Daejeon, Republic of Korea | [c] Department of Preventive Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea | [d] Department of Ophthalmology, Daejeon Eulji Medical Center, Eulji University School of Medicine, Daejeon, Korea

Correspondence: [*] Correspondence to: Seung Hoon Kim, MD, JD, PhD, Department of Preventive Medicine, Eulji University School of Medicine, 77 Gyeryong-ro 771 beon-gil, Jung-gu, Daejeon 34824, Republic of Korea. Tel.: +82 42 259 1684; Fax: +82 42 259 1689; E-mail: shoonkim@yuhs.ac.

Abstract: Background:Among the older adults, hearing impairment is a common problem and may contribute to dementia. Objective:Therefore, we aimed to examine the association between hearing impairment and the risk of dementia among older adults in South Korea. Methods:Using the Korean National Health Insurance Service-Senior Cohort from 2005 to 2019, we collected data of 44,728 patients. Hearing impairment was determined using the national disability registry. Propensity score matching (1:1) was performed to match patients with and without hearing impairment (case: 22,364, control: 22,364). A Cox proportional hazards regression model was built to analyze the association between hearing impairment and dementia. Results:Patients with hearing impairment had a higher risk of dementia than those without hearing impairment (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.28, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.23–1.34). Assessing the degree of disability, both severe (HR = 1.25, 95% CI = 1.16–1.35) and mild conditions (HR = 1.29, 95% CI = 1.23–1.35) had an increased risk of dementia, respectively. Conclusions:Older patients with hearing impairment exhibit an increased risk of dementia, thereby warranting a new approach to dementia care among these patients regardless of the degree of hearing impairment.

Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, hearing impairment, hearing loss

DOI: 10.3233/JAD-230816

Journal: Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, vol. 97, no. 2, pp. 679-686, 2024