Middle-aged and older adults who have difficulty with hearing, vision or both may have a higher risk for stroke or heart attack compared with those without these issues, a new study finds.
Authors of the study published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Heart Association said they recommend screening for sensory deficits, treating them with vision or hearing aids, and focusing on the population’s cardiovascular health in order to lower the risk.
Investigators analyzed data from 11,332 participants in China who were 45 and older and didn’t have a history of cardiovascular disease. In 2011, the participants provided information about their hearing and vision. Seven years later, 2,156 participants (19%) reported that they had experienced stroke, cardiac arrest, heart attack, chest pains, severe arrhythmias, heart failure, or other cardiovascular problems.
Compared with participants without any sensory issues, those with vision problems were 24% more likely to develop cardiovascular disease, and those with hearing loss were 20% more likely. Participants with both hearing and vision problems had a 35% higher risk for developing cardiovascular disease.
Investigators aren’t sure why adults with hearing and vision problems face higher cardiovascular risks. A previous study found that three in five adults with vision loss had multiple risk factors, particularly high blood pressure and obesity. Hearing loss can affect communication and cognitive abilities in older people, the authors of the new study wrote. That might lead to mental health conditions, such as anxiety or depression, that make people less socially and physically active, which are also risk factors for cardiovascular disease, they added.
“Sensory deficits in general, in a lot of diseases, have not been the focus of research,” Rebecca Boxer, MD, division chief of geriatrics at UC Davis Health, said in a statement. “From the geriatrics perspective, sensory deficits impact everything for people. It affects their quality of life and the ability to do things they enjoy.”
