Relationship between Age-Related Hearing Loss and Age-Related Macular Degeneration.

BACKGROUND

With the aging of the population, the deterioration of visual and auditory functions amongst the elderly has attracted much attention. Age-related hearing loss (ARHL) and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) are common eye and ear diseases that seriously affect the quality of life of elderly population.

METHODS

This study utilised a whole cohort sampling method, with a total of 713 participants aged 50 years and older in the community from June 2022 to October 2023, resulting in the inclusion of 620 participants. Demographic information was collected from these participants, and eye and hearing examinations were conducted at Ningde Municipal Hospital affiliated of Fujian Medical University. Spearman's correlation analysis was utilised to investigate the association between ARHL and AMD in patients. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was employed to identify the factors influencing ARHL to provide insights for preventing and treating ARHL and AMD in older individuals.

RESULTS

Correlation analysis indicated a significantly positive relationship between ARHL and AMD (P < 0.001). The results showed that age, medical history, AMD and chronic noise exposure were risk factors for ARHL.

CONCLUSIONS

There were 196 cases of AMD in ARHL patients (82.35%). Spearman's correlation analysis revealed that ARHL was associated with AMD; logistic regression analysis revealed that age, medical history, macular degeneration and history of prolonged noise exposure were risk factors for ARHL. Among them, age, medical history (hypertension, hyperlipidaemia and diabetes mellitus), noise and AMD influence the development of ARHL in the elderly population. Therefore, attention should be paid to controlling risk factors in this population to prevent or reduce the development of ARHL.