Osvaldo P Almeida1,2,3, Andrew H Ford1,2,3, Graeme J Hankey1,4, Bu B Yeap1,5, Jonathan Golledge6,7, Leon Flicker1,2,8. 1. Medical School, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia. 2. WA Centre for Health & Ageing, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Western Australia. 3. Department of Psychiatry, Royal Perth Hospital and Bentley Hospital, Perth, Australia. 4. Department of Neurology, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Perth, Australia. 5. Department of Endocrinology and Diabetes, Fiona Stanley Hospital, Perth, Australia. 6. Queensland Research Centre for Peripheral Vascular Disease, College of Medicine and Dentistry, James Cook University, Townsville, Australia. 7. Department of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, The Townsville Hospital, Townsville, Australia. 8. Department of Geriatric Medicine, Royal Perth Hospital, Perth, Australia.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To determine if hearing loss is associated with increased risk of incident psychosis in later life. METHODS: Longitudinal cohort study of a community-representative sample of 38 173 men aged 65 to 85 years at the start of the follow-up period of 18 years. We used the Western Australian Data Linkage System to ascertain the presence of hearing loss and of psychotic disorders according to the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) (versions 8, 9, and 10). We also collected information on concurrent morbidities: cancer and diseases of the cardiovascular, respiratory, digestive, and renal systems. RESULTS: One thousand four hundred forty-two (3.8%) and 464 (1.2%) men had a recorded diagnosis of hearing loss and psychosis at the start of follow-up. After excluding the 464 participants with prevalent psychosis, 37 709 men were available for the longitudinal study, and of these, 252 (0.7%) developed a psychotic disorder. Competing risk regression showed that hearing loss was associated incident psychosis (subhazard ratio = 2.03, 95% CI, 1.24-3.32; after statistical adjustment for age and concurrent morbidities). CONCLUSIONS: Hearing loss is associated with double the risk of incident psychosis in older men. Available evidence suggests that this link could be causal, although conclusive evidence is still missing from randomized controlled trials designed to test the effect of correction of hearing loss on the prevalence and incidence of psychosis.
OBJECTIVE: To determine if hearing loss is associated with increased risk of incident psychosis in later life. METHODS: Longitudinal cohort study of a community-representative sample of 38 173 men aged 65 to 85 years at the start of the follow-up period of 18 years. We used the Western Australian Data Linkage System to ascertain the presence of hearing loss and of psychotic disorders according to the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) (versions 8, 9, and 10). We also collected information on concurrent morbidities: cancer and diseases of the cardiovascular, respiratory, digestive, and renal systems. RESULTS: One thousand four hundred forty-two (3.8%) and 464 (1.2%) men had a recorded diagnosis of hearing loss and psychosis at the start of follow-up. After excluding the 464 participants with prevalent psychosis, 37 709 men were available for the longitudinal study, and of these, 252 (0.7%) developed a psychotic disorder. Competing risk regression showed that hearing loss was associated incident psychosis (subhazard ratio = 2.03, 95% CI, 1.24-3.32; after statistical adjustment for age and concurrent morbidities). CONCLUSIONS:Hearing loss is associated with double the risk of incident psychosis in older men. Available evidence suggests that this link could be causal, although conclusive evidence is still missing from randomized controlled trials designed to test the effect of correction of hearing loss on the prevalence and incidence of psychosis.
Authors: Fiona Höbler; Katherine S McGilton; Walter Wittich; Kate Dupuis; Marilyn Reed; Shirley Dumassais; Paul Mick; M Kathleen Pichora-Fuller Journal: J Alzheimers Dis Date: 2021 Impact factor: 4.472