Observed Hearing Loss and Incident Dementia in a Multiethnic Cohort.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether observed hearing loss (OHL) is associated with incident dementia in a multiethnic population.


METHODS
Prospective epidemiological cohort study.


METHODS
Community in northern Manhattan.


METHODS
Participants in the Washington Heights-Inwood Columbia Aging Project, a longitudinal study on aging and dementia in an ethnically diverse community (n = 1,881).


METHODS
OHL was defined when the examiner observed it or according to self-reported hearing aid use. A consensus panel diagnosed dementia using standard research criteria. A Cox proportional hazards model was used to examine the relationship between OHL at baseline and risk of incident dementia (mean 7.3 ± 4.4 years of longitudinal followup, range 0.9-20 years).


RESULTS
OHL was associated with 1.69 (95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.3-2.3, P < .010) times the risk of incident dementia, adjusting for demographic characteristics, cardiovascular risk factors, apolipoprotein E4 genotype, and stroke. When stratified according to race, the association between OHL and incident dementia was high in all groups but was statistically significant only in blacks (hazard ratio = 2.62, 95% CI = 1.5-4.5, P < .010).


CONCLUSIONS
OHL was associated with greater risk of incident dementia in a multiethnic cohort. More study is needed to determine whether HL contributes to dementia and whether treating HL can reduce the risk of dementia.
Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center, Columbia University, New York City, New York.
Justin S
http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2432-5291
JS
Golub
Department of Medicine, College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center, Columbia University, New York City, New York.|Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York City, New York.
José A
JA
Luchsinger
Department of Neurology, College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center, Columbia University, New York City, New York.|Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University, New York City, New York.|Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center, Columbia University, New York, New York.
Jennifer J
JJ
Manly
Department of Neurology, College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center, Columbia University, New York City, New York.|Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University, New York City, New York.|Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center, Columbia University, New York, New York.
Yaakov
Y
Stern
Department of Neurology, College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center, Columbia University, New York City, New York.|Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University, New York City, New York.|Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center, Columbia University, New York, New York.
Richard
R
Mayeux
Department of Neurology, College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center, Columbia University, New York City, New York.|Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University, New York City, New York.|Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center, Columbia University, New York, New York.
Nicole
N
Schupf
D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging; D003704:Dementia / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D034381:Hearing Loss / Q000150:complications* / Q000208:ethnology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors
Alzheimer's; aging; dementia; observed hearing loss; presbycusis