Erratum: The Prevalence of Peripheral and Central Hearing Impairment and Its Relation to Cognition in Older Adults

Age-related hearing loss (ARHL) and dementia are two highly prevalent conditions in the adult population. Recent studies have suggested that hearing loss is independently associated with poorer cognitive functioning. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of ARHL and cognitive impairment in a large sample of subjects older than 65 years and to correlate hearing function with cognitive function. A total of 488 subjects older than 65 years (mean age 72.8 years) participating in the Great Age Study underwent a complete audiological, neurological and neuropsychological evaluation as part of a multidisciplinary assessment. The prevalence of a hearing loss greater than 25 dB HL was 64.1%, of Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD) was 14.3 and 25.3% of the subjects reported a hearing handicap as reported on the Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly Screening Version questionnaire. Multiple logistic regression analysis corrected for gender, age and education duration showed that mild cognitive impairment (MCI) was significantly associated with hearing impairment (CAPD and hearing threshold; odds ratio 1.6, p = 0.05) and that Alzheimer's disease (AD) was significantly associated with CAPD (odds ratio 4.2, p = 0.05). Given that up to 80% of patients affected by MCI convert to AD, adding auditory tests to a screening cognitive battery might have value in the early diagnosis of cognitive decline.

年龄相关性听力损失（Age-related hearing loss, ARHL）与痴呆是成人人群中两种高发疾病。近期研究表明，听力损失与较差的认知功能独立相关。本研究旨在评估65岁以上大样本受试者中ARHL与认知障碍的患病率，并分析听力功能与认知功能的相关性。共计488名65岁以上受试者（平均年龄72.8岁）参与高龄研究（Great Age Study），作为多学科评估的一部分，完成了全面的听力学、神经学及神经心理学评估。听力损失大于25分贝听力级（dB HL）的受试者占比为64.1%，中枢听觉处理障碍（Central Auditory Processing Disorder, CAPD）的患病率为14.3%，另有25.3%的受试者通过《老年听力障碍筛查量表（Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly Screening Version）》自述存在听力障碍。经校正性别、年龄及受教育年限的多元逻辑回归分析显示，轻度认知障碍（mild cognitive impairment, MCI）与听力损伤（CAPD及听力阈值）显著相关（优势比=1.6，p=0.05），而阿尔茨海默病（Alzheimer's disease, AD）与CAPD显著相关（优势比=4.2，p=0.05）。鉴于多达80%的轻度认知障碍患者会进展为阿尔茨海默病，在认知筛查组合中加入听力学检测，或可为认知衰退的早期诊断提供应用价值。