Abstract:
INTRODUCTION : Many studies on hearing loss (HL) and cognition
are limited by subjective hearing assessments and verbally
administered cognition tests, the majority of the document
findings in Western populations. This study aimed to
assess the association of HL with cognitive impairment
among ethnic Chinese Singaporean older adults using visually
presented cognitive tests. METHODS : The hearing of community-
dwelling older adults was assessed using pure tone
audiometry. Cognitive function was assessed using the
Computerized Cambridge Cognitive Test Battery (CANTAB).
Multiple regression analyses examined the association between
hearing and cognitive function, adjusted for age, education,
and gender. RESULTS : HL (pure-tone average [PTA] of
thresholds at 0.5, 1, 2, and 4 kHz in the better ear, BE4PTA)
was associated with reduced performance in delayed matching
and multitasking tasks (β = −0.25, p = 0.019, and β = 0.02,
p = 0.023, respectively). Moderate to severe HL was associated
with reduced performance in delayed matching and
verbal recall memory tasks (β = −10.6, p = 0.019, and β =
−0.28, p = 0.042). High-frequency HL was associated with reduced
performance in the spatial working memory task (β =
0.004, p = 0.022). All-frequency HL was associated with reduced
performance in spatial working memory and multitasking
(β = 0.01, p = 0.040, and β = 0.02, p = 0.048). CONCLUSION :
Similar to Western populations, HL among tonal language-
speaking ethnic Chinese was associated with worse
performance in tasks requiring working memory and executive
function.
