Dane J. Genther|Joshua Betz|Sheila Pratt|Kathryn Martin|Tamara B. Harris|Suzanne Satterfield|Douglas C. Bauer|Anne B. Newman|Eleanor M. Simonsick|Frank R. Lin
Association Between Hearing Impairment and Risk of Hospitalization in Older Adults
Johns Hopkins University|Johns Hopkins University|VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System|Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center|University of Pittsburgh|National Institute on Aging|University of Aberdeen|National Institute on Aging|University of Tennessee Health Science Center|University of California, San Francisco|University of Pittsburgh|Johns Hopkins Medicine|Johns Hopkins University|National Institute on Aging|Johns Hopkins Medicine|Johns Hopkins University
determine association hearing impairment hi risk duration hospitalization communitydwelling older adults united statesprospective observational studyhealth aging body composition studywellfunctioning communitydwelling white black medicare beneficiaries aged 70 79 study enrollment 199798 followed median 12 yearsincidence annual rate duration hospitalization primary outcomes hearing defined puretone average pta hearing thresholds decibels hearing level db hl octave frequencies 05 40 khz mild hi defined pta 25 40 db hl moderate greater hi defined pta greater 40 db hlof 2148 participants included analysis 1801 835 experienced one hospitalizations 7007 adjudicated hospitalization events occurring study period eight hundred eightytwo 411 participants normal hearing 818 381 mild hi 448 209 moderate greater hi adjusting demographic characteristics cardiovascular comorbidities persons mild hi experienced 16 hazard ratio hr 116 95 confidence interval ci 104129 greater risk incident hospitalization 17 incidence rate ratio irr 117 95 ci 104132 greater annual rate hospitalization moderate greater hi experienced 21 hr 121 95 ci 106138 greater risk incident hospitalization 19 irr 119 95 ci 104138 greater annual rate hospitalization persons normal hearing significant association hi mean duration hospitalizationhearingimpaired older adults experience greater incidence annual rate hospitalization normal hearing investigating whether rehabilitative therapies could affect risk hospitalization older adults requires study