Prevalence, adverse health, and risk factors in association with sensory impairments: data from a prospective cohort study of older Japanese.

Sensory impairments, mainly of vision and hearing, are prevalent among the older adults, and are the leading causes of disability in people aged 60 years and above around the world. However, epidemiological data on sensory impairments (prevalence, association with adverse health outcomes, risk and preventive factors, etc.) in community-dwelling older people are sparse in Japan. Using data from the Kurabuchi Study, a community-based prospective cohort study of adults aged 65 years or older, the author and colleagues estimated the prevalence of sensory impairments in this population. Vision and hearing impairments were associated with adverse health outcomes, such as depressive symptoms, dependence in activities of daily living, and early death. In addition, antioxidants, sunlight exposure, hyperglycaemia, and nutritional status were identified as possible risk or preventive factors for vision and/or hearing impairments. Further research is needed into whether the maintenance or improvement of sensory functions contributes to the extension of disability-free life expectancy.