Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare (Feb 2024)
Elderly Individuals Residing in Nursing Homes in Western Romania Who Have Been Diagnosed with Hearing Loss are at a Higher Risk of Experiencing Cognitive Impairment
Abstract
Sergiu-Florin Arnautu,1,2 Diana-Aurora Arnautu,2 Dragos-Catalin Jianu,1,3 Mirela-Cleopatra Tomescu,2 Marc-Dan Blajovan,4 Christian-Dragos Banciu,2 Daniel-Claudiu Malita4 1Center for Cognitive Research in Neuropsychiatric Pathology (NeuroPsy-Cog), Department of Neurosciences, Victor Babes University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Timisoara, Romania; 2Department of Internal Medicine, Victor Babes University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Timisoara, Romania; 3Department of Neurology, Victor Babes University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Timisoara, Romania; 4Department XV-Orthopedics-Traumatology, Urology, Radiology and Medical Imagistics, Faculty of Medicine, Victor Babes University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Timisoara, RomaniaCorrespondence: Diana-Aurora Arnautu, Department of Internal Medicine, Victor Babes University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 2nd Eftimie Murgu Square, Timisoara, 340001, Romania, Tel +40 734600550, Email [email protected]: The objective of this research was to determine if there is any correlation between the severity of neurocognitive disorder and hearing impairment in the elderly.Patients and Methods: This is a population-based observational study that included subjects aged ≥ 65 years. They were evaluated for the existence of cardiovascular risk factors, diabetes, stroke, alcohol abuse, and smoking. Hearing impairment was diagnosed by an audiologist, using behavioral audiometric examination. These evaluations might have been performed in response to concerns about hearing loss, or they could have been a routine component of yearly comprehensive health screenings that included a Mini-Mental State Examination 2nd Edition (MMSE-2) test. According to the results of the MMSE-2 scale, we divided the individuals into two groups, Group I for those who had cognitive impairment and severe neurocognitive disorder, and Group II for those who did not have cognitive impairment.Results: The study enrolled 203 patients with a mean age of 77 ± 7.5 years (range 65– 98), 99 (48%) were males. When comparing the two groups, group I patients presented more often cardiovascular risk factors, stroke, diabetes, and impaired hearing. The univariable logistic regression found that cognitive impairment was significantly more frequent in the elderly with cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and stroke (p< 0.0001). The multivariate regression analysis found that stroke (p< 0.0001) diabetes (p=0.0008), cardiovascular disease (p=0.0004), and impaired hearing (p=0.0011) were significantly linked to cognitive impairment. The occurrence of hearing impairment in the elderly was related to having an MMSE-2 score of 14 or below.Conclusion: According to the findings of this research, the elderly who have trouble hearing in addition to other conditions might have an increased risk for severe neurocognitive disorder.Keywords: elderly, impaired hearing, cognitive impairment, MMSE-2, nursing home
