Decoding the Enigmatic Link Between Sensory Impairment and Organic Mental Disorders: Insights From Biological Aging...

The objective of this study was to investigate the association between sensory impairments and organic mental disorders. We also examined biological age acceleration as a potential mediator and social support as a potential moderator of this association.

This was a longitudinal cohort study using Cox proportional hazards models with mediation and moderation analyses.

A total of 330,983 UK Biobank participants (mean age ± SD, 56.41 ± 8.09 years) were categorized into 4 groups: no sensory impairment (n = 60,636), hearing impairment (n = 22,297), visual impairment (n = 12,271), and dual-sensory impairment (n = 5757).

Sensory status was self-reported, biological age acceleration was assessed through 3 biomarkers (homeostasis disorder, Klemera-Doubal method biological age, and phenotypic age), and organic mental disorders were identified via International Classification of Diseases, 10th Edition codes (F00-F09) from national health registries. Survival analyses were adjusted for sociodemographic factors, lifestyle, and health status.

Over a 13.85-year median follow-up, 9645 participants developed organic mental disorders. Dual-sensory impairment showed the strongest association [hazard ratio (HR), 1.54; 95% CI, 1.45-1.64], followed by visual (HR, 1.20; 95% CI, 1.12-1.28) and hearing impairment (HR, 1.12; 95% CI, 1.05-1.20). Biological age acceleration mediated 24.5% to 38.9% of these associations (strongest through Klemera-Doubal method biological age). Social support demonstrated significant moderating effects, particularly in dual-sensory impairment, where high social support reduced risk (HR, 1.34; 95% CI, 1.12-1.60) compared with low social support (HR, 4.76; 95% CI, 2.35-9.65).

Sensory impairments are associated with an increased risk of organic mental disorders, potentially partly mediated by accelerated biological aging, with social support demonstrating a significant moderating effect. The gradient of risk across impairment types and the substantial potential mediating effect of biological age acceleration are consistent with multiple pathways linking sensory and cognitive health. These findings indicate that comprehensive interventions targeting sensory health, biological aging, and social support may represent potential targets for interventions aimed at preventing cognitive disorders in aging populations.