Global Sensory Impairment in Older Adults in the United States.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

To determine whether there may be a common mechanism resulting in global sensory impairment of the five classical senses (vision, smell, hearing, touch, and taste) in older adults.

Design

Representative, population-based study.

Setting

National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project.

Participants

Community-dwelling U.S. adults aged 57 to 85.

Measurements

The frequency with which impairment co-occurred across the five senses was estimated as an integrated measure of sensory aging. It was hypothesized that multisensory deficits would be common and reflect global sensory impairment that would largely explain the effects of age, sex, and race on sensory dysfunction.

Results

Two-thirds of subjects had two or more sensory deficits, 27% had ju

SUBMITTER: Correia C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4808743 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature