Severity of concurrent visual and hearing impairment and mortality: the 1986-1994 National Health Interview Survey.
OBJECTIVE
Visual impairment and, to a lesser extent, hearing impairment are independent predictors of reduced survival in selected studies of community-residing adults. To date, the association of severity of concurrent impairment and mortality has not been examined.


METHODS
The National Health Interview Survey is a continuous, multistage, area probability survey of the U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized population. Mortality linkage with the National Death Index of 116,796 adult participants from 1986 to 1994 with complete impairment data was performed through 1997.


RESULTS
Findings indicate that moderate to severe concurrent hearing and visual impairment in women is associated with significantly increased risk of mortality. More modest mortality associations are evident for men and for adults with less severe impairments, irrespective of gender.


CONCLUSIONS
Prevention of severe visual and hearing impairment should be a national public health priority, especially given the aging of the U.S. population.
Lee
David J
DJ
Department of Epidemiology & Public Health, University of Miami School of Medicine, P.O. Box 016069, Miami, FL 33101, USA. dlee@med.miami.edu
Gómez-Marín
Orlando
O
Lam
Byron L
BL
Zheng
D Diane
DD
Arheart
Kristopher L
KL
Christ
Sharon L
SL
Caban
Alberto J
AJ
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015897:Comorbidity; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006311:Hearing Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000401:mortality*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019986:Persons with Hearing Disabilities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014786:Vision Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000401:mortality*