Sensory Impairments and Risk of Mortality in Older Adults.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Sensory impairments increase with age and the majority of older people will experience a sensory impairment if they live long enough. However, the relationships of hearing, visual, and olfactory impairments with mortality are not well understood.

Methods

Epidemiology of Hearing Loss Study participants (n = 2,418) aged 53-97 years (mean = 69 years) were examined in 1998-2000 and hearing, visual acuity, and olfaction were measured. Participants were followed for mortality for up to 17 years (mean = 12.8 years). Cox proportional hazards models were used to assess the association between prevalent sensory impairments and the 15-year cumulative incidence of death.

Results

A total of 1,099 (45.4%) of participants died during the follow-up period. In age- and sex-

SUBMITTER: Schubert CR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5861964 | biostudies-literature | 2017 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature