To head off late-life depression, check your hearing

New York, NY (January 2, 2019)–A new study found that elderly individuals with age-related hearing loss had more symptoms of depression; the greater the hearing loss, the greater the risk of having depressive symptoms. The findings suggest that treatment of age-related hearing loss, which is underrecognized and undertreated among all elderly, could be one way to head off late-life depression.

The study was published online in JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery.

“Most people over age 70 have at least mild hearing loss, yet relatively few are diagnosed, much less treated, for this condition,” says lead author Justin S. Golub, MD, MS, assistant professor of otolaryngology-head & neck surgery at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. “Hearing loss is easy to diagnose and treat, and treatment may be even more important if it can help ease or prevent depression.”

Age-related hearing loss is the third-most common chronic condition in older adults. The condition is known to raise the risk of other conditions, such as cognitive impairment and dementia. But there are few large studies asking whether hearing loss may lead to depression in the elderly — particularly in Hispanics, a group in which depression may be underdiagnosed because of language and cultural barriers.

The researchers analyzed health data from 5,239 individuals over age 50 who were enrolled in the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos. Each participant had an audiometric hearing test — an objective way to assess hearing loss — and was screened for depression.

The researchers found that individuals with mild hearing loss were almost twice as likely to have clinically significant symptoms of depression than those with normal hearing. Individuals with severe hearing loss had over four times the odds of having depressive symptoms.

The study looked for an association at a single point in time, so it can’t prove that hearing loss causes depressive symptoms. “That would have to be demonstrated in a prospective, randomized trial,” says Golub. “But it’s understandable how hearing loss could contribute to depressive symptoms. People with hearing loss have trouble communicating and tend to become more socially isolated, and social isolation can lead to depression.”

Although the study focused on Hispanics, the results could be applied to anyone with age-related hearing loss, according to the researchers. “In general, older individuals should get their hearing tested and consider treatment, if warranted,” says Golub.

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The study is titled, “Association of Audiometric Age-Related Hearing Loss With Depressive Symptoms Among Hispanic Individuals.” The other contributors are: Katharine K. Brewster (New York State Psychiatric Institute and Columbia University Irving Medical Center); Adam M. Brickman (CUIMC); Adam J. Ciarleglio (NYSPI, CUIMC, and George Washington University, Washington, DC); Ana H. Kim (CUIMC); José A. Luchsinger (CUIMC); and Bret R. Rutherford (NYSPI and CUIMC).

Drs. Golub and Kim reported receiving travel expenses for education and an industry conference paid for by Cochlear. No other financial or conflicts of interest were reported.

The study was supported by Collaborative and Multidisciplinary Pilot Research Awards from the Columbia University Irving Institute for Clinical and Translational Research and by grants from the National Institute on Aging (K23AG057832 and K24AG045334).

Columbia University Irving Medical Center provides international leadership in basic, preclinical, and clinical research; medical and health sciences education; and patient care. The medical center trains future leaders and includes the dedicated work of many physicians, scientists, public health professionals, dentists, and nurses at the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, the Mailman School of Public Health, the College of Dental Medicine, the School of Nursing, the biomedical departments of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and allied research centers and institutions. Columbia University Irving Medical Center is home to the largest medical research enterprise in New York City and State and one of the largest faculty medical practices in the Northeast. For more information, visit cuimc.columbia.edu or columbiadoctors.org.