CoDAS
https://codas.org.br/article/doi/10.1590/2317-1782/e20240107en
CoDAS
Original Article

Can hearing handicap be linked to frailty? A cross-sectional study

Ruana Danieli da Silva Campos; Henrique Pott; Marisa Silvana Zazzetta; Fabiana de Souza Orlandi; Sofia Cristina Iost Pavarini; Ariene Angelini dos Santos-Orlandi; Isabela Thaís Machado de Jesus; Karina Gramani Say; Aline Cristina Martins Gratão; Letícia Pimenta Costa-Guarisco

http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/2317-1782/e20240107en CoDAS, vol.37, n2, e20240107, 2025
PDF
PDF
SciELO
Downloads: 0
Views: 71

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Purpose: To investigate potential association between different types of frailty and hearing handicap in the older population.

Methods: A study was conducted on frailty among older adults in the context of social vulnerability. The study involved 229 participants who underwent physical, cognitive, and social frailty assessments. Physical frailty was assessed using Fried's Frailty Phenotype, while cognitive frailty was characterized by the presence of physical frailty and cognitive decline. The Makizako index was used to assess social frailty, and the HHIE-S questionnaire was applied to quantify hearing handicap. Participation restrictions related to hearing difficulties were explored in relation to the three types of frailty using logistic regression.

Results: Hearing handicap were found to be associated with physical, cognitive, and social frailties. However, in a multivariate binary logistic regression analysis, the emotional scale of HHIE-S was only a predictive factor for physical frailty, along with older age, lower education, and the presence of comorbidities. Age and the presence of comorbidities were the only associated explanatory variables for cognitive frailty. Social frailty was only associated with the presence of cognitive changes.

Conclusion: Hearing loss-related participation restrictions can be a significant challenge for older adults. Those who also have an emotional impairment, caused by hearing loss, are even more vulnerable to becoming frail or pre-frail. It’s important to prioritize the needs of this population and provide the necessary support to enhance their quality of life and prevent further decline.

Keywords

Aged, Frailty, Cognition, Social Support, Hearing Loss

References

1 Haile LM, Kamenov K, Briant PS, Orji AU, Steinmetz JD, Abdoli A, et al. Hearing loss prevalence and years lived with disability, 1990-2019: findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. Lancet. 2021;397(10278):996-1009. http://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(21)00516-X. PMid:33714390.

2 Camargo C, Lacerda ABM, Sampaio J, Lüders D, Massi G, Marques JM. Percepção de idosos sobre a restrição da participação relacionada à perda auditiva. Distúrb Comun. 2018;30(4):736-47. http://doi.org/10.23925/2176-2724.2018v30i4p736-747.

3 OMS: Organização Mundial da Saúde. CIF: Classificação internacional de funcionalidade, incapacidade e saúde. São Paulo: OMS; 2003.

4 Fried LP, Tangen CM, Walston J, Newman AB, Hirsch C, Gottdiener J, et al. Frailty in older adults: evidence for a phenotype. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2001;56(3):M146-56. http://doi.org/10.1093/gerona/56.3.M146. PMid:11253156.

5 Kamil RJ, Li L, Lin FR. Association of hearing impairment and frailty in older adults. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2014;151(1 Suppl):P195-6.

6 Bunt S, Steverink N, Olthof J, Van Der Schans CP, Hobbelen JSM. Social frailty in older adults: a scoping review. Eur J Ageing. 2017;14(3):323-34. http://doi.org/10.1007/s10433-017-0414-7. PMid:28936141.

7 Campos RDDS, Zazzetta MS, Orlandi FDS, Pavarini SCI, Cominetti MR, Santos-Orlandi AAD, et al. Hearing handicap and frailty in community-dwelling older adults living. CoDAS. 2022;34:e20210080.

8 Yoo M, Kim S, Kim BS, Yoo J, Lee S, Jang HC, et al. Moderate hearing loss is related with social frailty in a community-dwelling older adults: The Korean Frailty and Aging Cohort Study (KFACS). Arch Gerontol Geriatr. 2019;83:126-30. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.archger.2019.04.004. PMid:31003135.

9 Bae S, Lee S, Lee S, Jung S, Makino K, Park H, et al. The role of social frailty in explaining the association between hearing problems and mild cognitive impairment in older adults. Arch Gerontol Geriatr. 2018;78:45-50. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.archger.2018.05.025. PMid:29890382.

10 Jesus ITMD. Frailty of elderly people and associated factors in a vulnerable context: a longitudinal study in primary health care [dissertation]. São Carlos: Federal University of São Carlos; 2021.

11 Folstein MF, Folstein SE, Mchugh PR. Mini-Mental State: a practical method for grading the cognitive state of patients for the clinician. J Psychiatr Res. 1975;12(3):189-98. http://doi.org/10.1016/0022-3956(75)90026-6. PMid:1202204.

12 Bertolucci PHF, Brucki SMD, Campacci SR, Juliano Y. O miniexame do estado mental em uma população geral. Impacto da escolaridade. Arq Neuropsiquiatr. 1994;52(1):1-7. http://doi.org/10.1590/S0004-282X1994000100001. PMid:8002795.

13 Ventry IM, Weinstein BE. Identification of elderly people with hearing problems. ASHA. 1983;25(7):37-42. PMid:6626295.

14 Wieselberg MB. A auto-avaliação do handicap em idosos portadores de deficiência auditiva: o uso do H.H.I.E. [dissertação]. São Paulo: Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo; 1997.

15 Kelaiditi E, Cesari M, Canevelli M, van Kan GA, Ousset PJ, Gillette-Guyonnet S, et al. Cognitive frailty: rational and definition from an (IANA/IAGG) international consensus group. J Nutr Health Aging. 2013;17(9):726-34. http://doi.org/10.1007/s12603-013-0367-2. PMid:24154642.

16 Makizako H, Shimada H, Tsutsumimoto K, Lee S, Doi T, Nakakubo S, et al. Social frailty in community-dwelling older adults as a risk factor for disability. J Am Med Dir Assoc. 2015;16(11):1003-e7-11. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.jamda.2015.08.023. PMid:26482055.

17 Kamil RJ, Betz J, Powers BB, Pratt S, Kritchevsky S, Ayonayon HN, et al. Association of hearing impairment with incident frailty and falls in older adults. J Aging Health. 2016;28(4):644-60. http://doi.org/10.1177/0898264315608730. PMid:26438083.

18 Liljas AE, Carvalho LA, Papachristou E, Oliveira CD, Wannamethee SG, Ramsay SE, et al. Self-reported hearing impairment and incident frailty in English community-dwelling older adults: a 4-year follow-up study. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2017;65(5):958-65. http://doi.org/10.1111/jgs.14687. PMid:27991672.

19 Liu Y, Qian P, Guo S, Liu S, Wang D, Yang L. Frailty and hearing loss: from association to causation. Front Aging Neurosci. 2022;14:14. http://doi.org/10.3389/fnagi.2022.953815. PMid:36158533.

20 Ruan Q, Chen J, Zhang R, Zhang W, Ruan J, Zhang M, et al. Heterogeneous influence of frailty phenotypes in age-related hearing loss and tinnitus in Chinese older adults: an explorative study. Front Psychol. 2021;11:617610. http://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.617610. PMid:33664689.

21 Lorenzo-López L, López-López R, Maseda A, Buján A, Rodríguez-Villamil JL, Millán-Calenti JC. Changes in frailty status in a community-dwelling cohort of older adults: the VERISAÚDE study. Maturitas. 2019;119:54-60. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.maturitas.2018.11.006. PMid:30502751.

22 Uchida Y, Sugiura S, Nishita Y, Saji N, Sone M, Ueda H. Age-related hearing loss and cognitive decline: the potential mechanisms linking the two. Auris Nasus Larynx. 2019;46(1):1-9. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.anl.2018.08.010. PMid:30177417.

23 Stahl SM. Does treating hearing loss prevent or slow the progress of dementia? Hearing is not all in the ears, but who’s listening? CNS Spectr. 2017;22(3):247-50. http://doi.org/10.1017/S1092852917000268. PMid:28376938.

24 Livingston G, Huntley J, Sommerlad A, Ames D, Ballard C, Banerjee S, et al. Dementia prevention, intervention, and care: 2020 report of the Lancet Commission. Lancet. 2020;396(10248):413-46. http://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30367-6. PMid:32738937.

25 Luz VBD, Ghiringhelli R, Iório MCM. Restrições de participação e estado mental: estudo em novos usuários de próteses auditivas. Audiol Commun Res. 2018;23(0):23. http://doi.org/10.1590/2317-6431-2017-1884.

26 Díaz-Alonso J, Bueno Pérez A, Toraño Ladero L, Caballero FF, López García E, Rodríguez Artalejo F, et al. Limitación auditiva y fragilidad social en hombres y mujeres mayores. Gac Sanit. 2021;35(5):425-31. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.gaceta.2020.08.007. PMid:33067023.

27 Mantello EB, Marino MV, Alves AC, Hyppolito MA, Reis ACMB, Isaac MDI. Avaliação da restrição de participação em atividades de vida diária de idosos usuários de aparelhos de amplificação sonora individual. Medicina (Ribeirão Preto. Online). 2016;49(5):403-10.

28 Cominetti MR, Pott H, Zúñiga RG, Romero-Ortuno R. Protecting cognitive function in older adults with age-related hearing loss: Insights from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA) and the role of hearing aids. Arch Gerontol Geriatr. 2023;112:105043. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.archger.2023.105043. PMid:37104978.
 

Submitted date:
04/03/2024

Accepted date:
09/27/2024

67bf674aa95395024326ea33 codas Articles
2317-1782 (Electronic)
CoDAS ©2025 All rights reserved.

CoDAS

Share this page
Page Sections