All-cause and cardiovascular mortality in dual sensory impairment patients: A meta-analysis of cohort studies.

BACKGROUND

This meta-analysis is to determine the risk of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality of dual sensory impairment (DSI).

METHODS

Relevant cohort studies were searched in Medline with PubMed, Cochrane Library, and EMBASE databases. The quality of the included studies was assessed based on the Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale (NOS). STATA software (USA) was used to conduct statistical analyses. To determine the source of heterogeneity, subgroup and sensitivity analyses were carried out. Funnel plots and the Egger's test were used for detecting publication bias.

RESULTS

This meta-analysis incorporated 12 cohort studies (1992-2024), containing 310 211 patients. Pooled analysis showed that DSI patients had a higher risk of all-cause mortality (hazard ratio (HR) = 1.442; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.303-1.596, I = 49.5%, P < 0.001), and cardiovascular mortality (HR = 1.832; 95% CI = 1.343-2.500, I = 0%, P < 0.001). Subgroup analyses on sex and territory type revealed that DSI were all associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality.

CONCLUSIONS

This study shows that DSI is linked to higher risks of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, suggesting that DSI should be regarded as an independent mortality risk factor. Physicians treating individuals with DSI should assess its impact on life expectancy.

REGISTRATION

The protocol was previously registered on the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) platform (CRD42024527256).