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Association between hearing loss and development of dementia using formal behavioural audiometric testing within the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging (MCSA): a prospective population-based study
Marinelli JP, Lohse CM, Fussell WL, Petersen RC, Reed NS, Machulda MM, Vassilaki M, Carlson ML.. The lancet. Healthy longevity, 2022-11-18
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
After adjusting for sex, years of education, smoking status, diabetes, hypertension, apolipoprotein E ε4 carriership, and hearing rehabilitation (defined as hearing aid or cochlear implant use), neither PTA (hazard ratio [HR] per 10-decibels hearing level increase of 0·99 (95% CI 0·89-1·12; p=0·91) nor WRS (HR per 10% decrease of 0·98, 95% CI 0·89-1 ·07; p=0·65) was significantly associated with the development of dementia. However, both PTA and WRS were significantly associated with poorer performance in cognitive testing over time: participants with a PTA higher than 25 decibels hearing level or a WRS lower than 100% had significantly worse declines in cognitive testing scores. Informant-based hearing difficulties assessed by the participant's study partner were significantly associated with the development of dementia (HR 1·95, 95% CI 1·45-2·62; p Interpretation In this prospective population-based study, subjective informant-based hearing difficulties were associated with development of dementia, whereas objective measures on formal behavioural audiometry were predictive of poorer performance on cognitive testing over time but not the development of dementia.
Key findings
- After adjusting for sex, years of education, smoking status, diabetes, hypertension, apolipoprotein E ε4 carriership, and hearing rehabilitation (defined as hearing aid or cochlear implant use), neither PTA (hazard ratio [HR] per 10-decibels hearing level increase of 0·99 (95% CI 0·89-1·12; p=0·91) nor WRS (HR per 10% decrease of 0·98, 95% CI 0·89-1 ·07; p=0·65) was significantly associated with the development of dementia.
- However, both PTA and WRS were significantly associated with poorer performance in cognitive testing over time: participants with a PTA higher than 25 decibels hearing level or a WRS lower than 100% had significantly worse declines in cognitive testing scores.
- Informant-based hearing difficulties assessed by the participant's study partner were significantly associated with the development of dementia (HR 1·95, 95% CI 1·45-2·62; p<0·0001).
Why it matters
In this population-based study, objective audiometric measures of hearing loss were not significantly associated with developing dementia, though they were linked to worse cognitive test performance over time. Subjective hearing difficulties reported by a study partner were associated with dementia, but this does not show that treating hearing loss prevents dementia.
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Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 48/100
Published in a leading specialty journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 9 / 10 | Tier 2 — leading specialty journal (The lancet. Healthy longevity) |
| Journal's citation record | 1 / 4 | The Lancet Healthy Longevity: journal h-index 78 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 3 / 5 | 2022 — within 6 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 4 / 7 | Cited 61 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 10.2 citations a year over 6 year(s) since 2022 |
| Impact for its field and year | 3 / 6 | Cited 6.3× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 2 / 6 | Cited by 3 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 48 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Matthew L. Carlson: h-index 60 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | Johns Hopkins University: institution h-index 2,306 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 3 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 36410368) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 48 / 100 | — |
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Read the original
- DOI: 10.1016/s2666-7568(22)00241-0
- PubMed: 36410368
- Original source →
- Free full text: The Lancet Healthy Longevity →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record names 8 authors; APA and Vancouver show the first six, BibTeX and the downloads carry all of them. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Marinelli, J. P., Lohse, C. M., Fussell, W. L., Petersen, R. C., Reed, N. S., Machulda, M. M., et al. (2022). Association between hearing loss and development of dementia using formal behavioural audiometric testing within the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging (MCSA): a prospective population-based study. The lancet. Healthy longevity. https://doi.org/10.1016/s2666-7568(22)00241-0
Vancouver
Marinelli JP, Lohse CM, Fussell WL, Petersen RC, Reed NS, Machulda MM, et al. Association between hearing loss and development of dementia using formal behavioural audiometric testing within the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging (MCSA): a prospective population-based study. The lancet. Healthy longevity. 2022. doi:10.1016/s2666-7568(22)00241-0. PMID: 36410368.
BibTeX
@article{marinelli2022-36410368,
author = {Marinelli, J. P. and Lohse, C. M. and Fussell, W. L. and Petersen, R. C. and Reed, N. S. and Machulda, M. M. and Vassilaki, M. and Carlson, M. L.},
title = {{Association between hearing loss and development of dementia using formal behavioural audiometric testing within the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging (MCSA): a prospective population-based study}},
journal = {The lancet. Healthy longevity},
year = {2022},
doi = {10.1016/s2666-7568(22)00241-0},
pmid = {36410368},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/s2666-7568(22)00241-0}
}
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