Depressive Symptoms and Risk of Hearing Loss Among Adults Aged 55 Years and Older: A Population-Based Study

Depression and hearing loss (HL) commonly occur in the aging population and may arise from shared mechanisms.

To investigate the observational associations between depression and HL.

Observational study.

Adults aged ≥ 55 years from three nationally representative study cohorts were included: the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, the Health and Retirement Study, and the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. Multiple linear regression was applied to examine the association between depressive severity and audiometric thresholds. Cox regression models were applied to evaluate the associations between depressive symptoms and HL.

Cross-sectional analyses revealed that depression was significantly associated with higher pure-tone average thresholds. In pooled longitudinal analyses of 6,956 participants, individuals with baseline depression exhibited a higher incidence of HL when compared to their non-depressed counterparts. Longitudinal trajectory analyses identified three significant patterns: increasing [hazard ratio (HR) 1.48, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.09-2.21] and fluctuating (HR 1.25, 95% CI 1.12-1.39) depressive symptom trajectories as independent predictors of HL, whereas decreasing trajectories indicated no significant association.

Depression and specific longitudinal trajectories are associated with elevated risk of HL. To further understand this association, integrated care models that synergistically address depression and HL in older adults are warranted.