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The relationship between hearing loss and frailty in older adults at risk of cognitive decline: a cross-sectional
Rong Tian1, Osvaldo P Almeida1,2, Andrew H Ford1
1Medical School, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia.
Objectives:
To investigate the association between hearing loss and frailty among a group of older community volunteers with mild cognitive impairment.
Design:
This study recruited 162 older community volunteers who have mild cognitive impairment and symmetric age-related hearing loss. Participants' hearing ability (including peripheral hearing, hearing handicap and central auditory processing) and frailty status were assessed and analysed. An independent t-test was conducted to compare hearing performance between frail and non-frail groups.
Results:
There were statistically significant differences between frail and non-frail groups for speech frequency hearing threshold, overall central auditory processing score and hearing handicap score, but not for high frequency hearing threshold.
Conclusion:
Frail individuals exhibit poorer performance in peripheral and central hearing assessments, as well as in self-reported hearing handicap. Future randomised controlled trials are necessary to find out if the correction of hearing loss decreases the proportion of people affected by frailty in later life.
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