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. 2016 Oct;64(10):1981-1987.
doi: 10.1111/jgs.14308. Epub 2016 Sep 9.

Age-Related Sensory Impairments and Risk of Cognitive Impairment

Mary E Fischer  1 , Karen J Cruickshanks  2   3 , Carla R Schubert  2 , Alex A Pinto  2 , Cynthia M Carlsson  4   5 , Barbara E K Klein  2 , Ronald Klein  2 , Ted S Tweed  2
Affiliations

Age-Related Sensory Impairments and Risk of Cognitive Impairment

Mary E Fischer et al. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2016 Oct.

Abstract

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.

Keywords: cognitive impairment; hearing impairment; olfactory impairment; population based; visual impairment.

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