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Population Attributable Fraction of Incident Dementia Associated With Hearing Loss
Emily M. Ishak, Emily A. Burg, James Russell Pike, Pablo Martínez-Amezcua, Kening Jiang, Danielle S. Powell, Alison Huang, Jonathan J. Suen et al.. JAMA Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery, 2025-04-17
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Among 2946 participants (mean [SD] age, 74.9 [4.6] years; 1751 [59.4] female; 637 Black [21.6%] and 2309 White [78.4%] individuals), 1947 participants (66.1%) had audiometric hearing loss, and 1097 (37.2%) had self-reported hearing loss. The population attributable fraction of dementia from any audiometric hearing loss was 32.0% (95% CI, 11.0%-46.5%). Population attributable fractions were similar by hearing loss severity (mild HL: 16.2% [95% CI, 4.2%-24.2%]; moderate or greater HL: 16.6% [95% CI, 3.9%-24.3%]). Self-reported hearing loss was not associated with an increased risk for dementia, so the population attributable fraction was not quantifiable. Population attributable fractions from audiometric hearing loss were larger among those who were 75 years and older (30.5% [95% CI, -5.8% to 53.1%]), female (30.8% [95% CI, 5.9%-47.1%]), and White (27.8% [95% CI, -6.0% to 49.8%]), relative to those who were younger than 75 years, male, and Black. Conclusions and Relevance: This cohort study suggests that treating hearing loss might delay dementia for a large number of older adults. Public health interventions targeting clinically significant audiometric hearing loss might have broad benefits for dementia prevention. Future research quantifying population attributable fractions should carefully consider which measures are used to define hearing loss, as self-reporting may underestimate hearing-associated dementia risk.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Ishak, E. M., Burg, E. A., Pike, J. R., Martínez-Amezcua, P., Jiang, K., Powell, D. S., et al. (2025). Population Attributable Fraction of Incident Dementia Associated With Hearing Loss. JAMA Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamaoto.2025.0192
Vancouver
Ishak EM, Burg EA, Pike JR, Martínez-Amezcua P, Jiang K, Powell DS, et al. Population Attributable Fraction of Incident Dementia Associated With Hearing Loss. JAMA Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery. 2025. doi:10.1001/jamaoto.2025.0192. PMID: 40244612.
BibTeX
@article{ishak2025-40244612,
author = {Ishak, Emily M. and Burg, Emily A. and Pike, James Russell and Martínez-Amezcua, Pablo and Jiang, Kening and Powell, Danielle S. and Huang, Alison and Suen, Jonathan J. and others},
title = {{Population Attributable Fraction of Incident Dementia Associated With Hearing Loss}},
journal = {JAMA Otolaryngology–Head \& Neck Surgery},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.1001/jamaoto.2025.0192},
pmid = {40244612},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1001/jamaoto.2025.0192}
}
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Key findings
- Among 2946 participants (mean [SD] age, 74.9 [4.6] years; 1751 [59.4] female; 637 Black [21.6%] and 2309 White [78.4%] individuals), 1947 participants (66.1%) had audiometric hearing loss, and 1097 (37.2%) had self-reported hearing loss.
- The population attributable fraction of dementia from any audiometric hearing loss was 32.0% (95% CI, 11.0%-46.5%).
- Population attributable fractions were similar by hearing loss severity (mild HL: 16.2% [95% CI, 4.2%-24.2%]; moderate or greater HL: 16.6% [95% CI, 3.9%-24.3%]).
- Self-reported hearing loss was not associated with an increased risk for dementia, so the population attributable fraction was not quantifiable.
- Population attributable fractions from audiometric hearing loss were larger among those who were 75 years and older (30.5% [95% CI, -5.8% to 53.1%]), female (30.8% [95% CI, 5.9%-47.1%]), and White (27.8% [95% CI, -6.0% to 49.8%]), relative to those who were younger than 75 years, male, and Black.
Why it matters
In this cohort study, the population attributable fraction of dementia from any audiometric hearing loss was 32.0%, while self-reported hearing loss was not associated with increased dementia risk. The authors suggest that treating hearing loss might delay dementia for many older adults and that public health interventions targeting clinically significant audiometric hearing loss might have broad benefits for dementia prevention.
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Study details
- Study designcohort study
- Participants2,946
- Effect size21.6%; 78.4%; 66.1%
- Evidence strengthModerate
How this study scored 63/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a cohort study following people over time. Scored zero for randomized / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (JAMA Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery) |
| Journal's citation record | 1 / 4 | JAMA Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery: journal h-index 107 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 7 / 12 | A cohort study following people over time |
| Strength of evidence | 3 / 5 | Rated “moderate” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 4 / 5 | 2025 — within 3 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 3 / 4 | 2,946 participants |
| Effect reported | 2 / 3 | Effect reported as a number, without an interval or test |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomized / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomization or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 3 / 7 | Cited 29 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 9.7 citations a year over 3 year(s) since 2025 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 16.5× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 2 / 6 | Cited by 5 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 29 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 1 / 4 | Last-listed author Jason R. Smith: h-index 13 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | Johns Hopkins University: institution h-index 2,306 (OpenAlex) |
| Multicenter collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 7 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 40244612) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 63 / 100 | — |
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