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Speech-in-noise hearing impairment is associated with an increased risk of incident dementia in 82,039 UK Biobank participants
Stevenson JS, Clifton L, Kuźma E, Littlejohns TJ.. Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association, 2021-07-21
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Introduction Little is known about the association between speech-in-noise (SiN) hearing impairment and dementia. Methods In 82,039 dementia-free participants aged ≥60 years were selected from the UK Biobank. Cox proportional-hazards models were used to investigate whether SiN hearing impairment is associated with an increased risk of incident dementia. Results Over 11 years of follow-up (median = 10.1), 1285 participants developed dementia. Insufficient and poor SiN hearing were associated with a 61% (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.61, 95% confidence [CI] 1.41-1.84) and 91% (HR = 1.91, 95% CI 1.55-2.36) increased risk of developing dementia, respectively, compared to normal SiN hearing. The association remained similar when restricting to follow-up intervals of ≤3, >3 to 6 to 9 years. There was limited evidence for mediation through depressive symptoms and social isolation. Discussion SiN hearing impairment is independently associated with incident dementia, providing further evidence for hearing impairment as a potential modifiable dementia risk factor.
Key findings
- Cox proportional-hazards models were used to investigate whether SiN hearing impairment is associated with an increased risk of incident dementia.
- Results Over 11 years of follow-up (median = 10.1), 1285 participants developed dementia.
- Insufficient and poor SiN hearing were associated with a 61% (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.61, 95% confidence [CI] 1.41-1.84) and 91% (HR = 1.91, 95% CI 1.55-2.36) increased risk of developing dementia, respectively, compared to normal SiN hearing.
- Discussion SiN hearing impairment is independently associated with incident dementia, providing further evidence for hearing impairment as a potential modifiable dementia risk factor.
Why it matters
This large study found that people aged 60 and over with poor speech-in-noise hearing had a higher risk of developing dementia over about 11 years. It suggests hearing impairment may be a modifiable risk factor for dementia, though it does not show that treating hearing loss prevents dementia.
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Study details
- Participants1,285
- Effect sizeHR = 1.91
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 56/100
Published in a leading specialty journal. Scored zero for study design and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 9 / 10 | Tier 2 — leading specialty journal (Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association) |
| Journal's citation record | 2 / 4 | Alzheimer s & Dementia: journal h-index 228 (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 | 3 / 4 | 1,285 participants |
| Effect reported | 3 / 3 | Effect reported with a statistic (interval, p-value, ratio or similar) |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 4 / 7 | Cited 81 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 13.5 citations a year over 6 year(s) since 2022 |
| Impact for its field and year | 3 / 6 | Cited 5.9× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 2 / 6 | Cited by 7 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 3 / 4 | Cited 57 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 2 / 4 | Last-listed author Thomas J. Littlejohns: h-index 33 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | University of Oxford: institution h-index 2,205 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 2 institution(s) in 2 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 34288382) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 56 / 100 | — |
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Read the original
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Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
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APA 7th
Stevenson, J. S., Clifton, L., Kuźma, E., & Littlejohns, T. J. (2022). Speech-in-noise hearing impairment is associated with an increased risk of incident dementia in 82,039 UK Biobank participants. Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association. https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.12416
Vancouver
Stevenson JS, Clifton L, Kuźma E, Littlejohns TJ. Speech-in-noise hearing impairment is associated with an increased risk of incident dementia in 82,039 UK Biobank participants. Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association. 2022. doi:10.1002/alz.12416. PMID: 34288382.
BibTeX
@article{stevenson2022-34288382,
author = {Stevenson, J. S. and Clifton, L. and Kuźma, E. and Littlejohns, T. J.},
title = {{Speech-in-noise hearing impairment is associated with an increased risk of incident dementia in 82,039 UK Biobank participants}},
journal = {Alzheimer's \& dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association},
year = {2022},
doi = {10.1002/alz.12416},
pmid = {34288382},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.12416}
}
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