In elderly hearing loss may cause depression, says study

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. However, 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 analysed 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. They 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 does not prove that hearing loss causes depressive symptoms. "But it's understandable how the 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," said Golub. Although the study focused on Hispanics, the results could be applied to anyone with age-related hearing loss, according to the researchers. ... Dailyhunthttps://anotepad.com/notes/q3yhgn