Multimorbodity and Auditory Health: An Introduction

The prevalence of hearing loss increases as a function of age. Approximately 65% of the population aged 71 years and older and almost the entire population (96%) of those aged 90 years and above experience some degree of hearing loss. Given the increasing number of Americans living into their 9th and 10th decades of life, the problems associated with age-related hearing loss (ARHL) will represent a significant public health challenge for decades to come. In addition to the communication and quality of life consequences of hearing loss, ARHL has increasingly been found to be associated with a constellation of secondary physiologic, functional, and psychosocial conditions. The goal of this presentation is to provide participants with a broad understanding of the association between multimorbidity and auditory health to include cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cognitive dysfunction, depression, social isolation, falls, healthcare utilization, and mortality. A discussion of epidemiological research design, levels of research evidence, and the terminology commonly associated with the multimorbidity literature as it relates to ARHL will be presented to better prepare participants to understand and interpret an ever-expanding literature. At the conclusion of this presentation, participants will be able to: Describe the burden of chronic diseases in the US elderly population; Identify four conditions frequently associated with age-related hearing loss; Describe the major differences among various levels of research evidence.