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Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Hearing loss as a risk factor for dementia
T2 - a systematic review and meta-analysis from a global perspective
AU - Readman, Megan Rose
AU - Littlejohn, Jenna
AU - Dodd, Imogen
AU - Rhodes, Sarah
AU - Wareing, Lettie
AU - Polden, Megan
AU - Plack, Christopher J.
AU - Giebel, Clarissa
PY - 2025/6/13
Y1 - 2025/6/13
N2 - ObjectivesHearing loss is a risk factor for dementia with estimated hazard ratios (HRs) of 1.28–2.39. However, whether intercontinental variability exists in this relationship remains unexplored.MethodMEDLINE, PsychInfo, Academic Search Ultimate, Web of Science, and EMBASE were searched, from inception to 2024, for cohort studies of dementia-free individuals with baseline hearing assessments ≥2-year follow-up, and incident dementia outcomes. Random-effect and multilevel models with subgroup difference tests were conducted.ResultsForty-nine studies analysed cohorts from North America (n = 20), Europe (n = 20), Asia (n = 7), and Oceania (n = 2). Binary hearing loss was associated with increased dementia risk (HR = 1.32 [95% CI: 1.23–1.41]) with HRs being largest for Oceania and smallest for Asia (p <0.001). In a sensitivity analysis excluding Oceania, HRs did not differ significantly by continent. Imprecise estimates create uncertainty around whether mild (HR = 1.35 [95% CI: 0.86–2.11]), moderate (HR = 1.39 [95% CI: 0.57–3.35]) or severe (HR = 1.66 [95% CI: 0.59–4.64]) hearing loss are associated with increased dementia risk, with little evidence that HRs by severity differ by continent (p = 0.059).ConclusionFindings indicate that the association between hearing loss and dementia is consistent globally, though HRs may vary slightly by continent.RegistrationThis review was pre-registered on PROSPERO (CRD42024545209) and the OSF (https://osf.io/kew29/).
AB - ObjectivesHearing loss is a risk factor for dementia with estimated hazard ratios (HRs) of 1.28–2.39. However, whether intercontinental variability exists in this relationship remains unexplored.MethodMEDLINE, PsychInfo, Academic Search Ultimate, Web of Science, and EMBASE were searched, from inception to 2024, for cohort studies of dementia-free individuals with baseline hearing assessments ≥2-year follow-up, and incident dementia outcomes. Random-effect and multilevel models with subgroup difference tests were conducted.ResultsForty-nine studies analysed cohorts from North America (n = 20), Europe (n = 20), Asia (n = 7), and Oceania (n = 2). Binary hearing loss was associated with increased dementia risk (HR = 1.32 [95% CI: 1.23–1.41]) with HRs being largest for Oceania and smallest for Asia (p <0.001). In a sensitivity analysis excluding Oceania, HRs did not differ significantly by continent. Imprecise estimates create uncertainty around whether mild (HR = 1.35 [95% CI: 0.86–2.11]), moderate (HR = 1.39 [95% CI: 0.57–3.35]) or severe (HR = 1.66 [95% CI: 0.59–4.64]) hearing loss are associated with increased dementia risk, with little evidence that HRs by severity differ by continent (p = 0.059).ConclusionFindings indicate that the association between hearing loss and dementia is consistent globally, though HRs may vary slightly by continent.RegistrationThis review was pre-registered on PROSPERO (CRD42024545209) and the OSF (https://osf.io/kew29/).
U2 - 10.1080/13607863.2025.2515180
DO - 10.1080/13607863.2025.2515180
M3 - Journal article
JO - Aging and Mental Health
JF - Aging and Mental Health
SN - 1360-7863
ER -