Prevalence, adverse health, and risk factors in association with sensory impairments: data from a prospective cohort study of older Japanese

Generic and Hearing-Specific Quality of Life in Older Adult Cochlear Implant Users

Background This study aimed to evaluate the quality of life (QOL) of older adults using cochlear implants (CIs) by focusing on how individual characteristics and speech perception are related to generic QOL ratings and utilizing the Health Utilities Index Mark III (HUI3) for assessment. Methodology A cross-sectional study was conducted with 19 participants aged ≥60 years, who were within one to five years post-implant activation. Data were obtained through self-administered questionnaires, including the HUI3 for generic QOL assessment and disease-specific indexes. Speech perception tests and chart reviews provided personal characteristic data. Statistical analysis was performed using the Mann-Whitney U-test, one-way analysis of variance, and Pearson's correlation coefficient. Results In total, 18 patients responded to the study. This study revealed that the generic QOL in older adult CI users was lower than that in the general older adult population. There was no significant association between QOL and variables such as sex, duration of implant usage, or age. However, a longer duration of hearing loss before receiving an implant was associated with higher generic QOL scores. Additionally, a strong correlation was observed between the hearing-related QOL score and utility scores. Conclusions Longer pre-implantation hearing loss correlated with better post-implantation QOL. Additionally, a reduced QOL, specifically within the hearing attribute, a subdomain of the HUI3, was associated with a lower overall generic QOL. The results suggest that generic QOL cannot be evaluated based on hearing ability alone and that cochlear implantation does not completely improve generic QOL. This study represents an important first step in understanding the QOL of older adult CI users from a variety of backgrounds.

Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate and Hearing Impairment in Japan: A Longitudinal Analysis Using Large-Scale Occupational Health Check-Up Data

Several longitudinal studies have examined associations between renal dysfunction and hearing impairment. Here, we explored the longitudinal association between estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and hearing impairment among the working-age population in Japan. Participants were 88,425 males and 38,722 females aged 20-59 years, without hearing impairment at baseline (2013), who attended Japanese occupational annual health check-ups from 2013 to 2020 fiscal year. eGFR was categorized into four groups (eGFR upper half of ≥90, lower half of ≥90 (reference), 60-89, and <60 mL/min/1.73 m²). Low- and high-frequency hearing impairment were assessed using data from pure-tone audiometric testing. A Cox proportional hazards model was applied to estimate hazard ratio (HR) values for hearing impairment. Low eGFR did not increase the risk of low- or high-frequency hearing impairment. For males, multivariable-adjusted HR of high-frequency hearing impairment was 1.16 (95% confidence interval, 1.01-1.34) for the upper half of the ≥90 mL/min/1.73 m²; however, this positive association between high eGFR and high-frequency hearing impairment did not appear to be robust in a number of sensitivity analyses. We conclude that, among the Japanese working-age population, eGFR was not generally associated with hearing impairment in people of either sex.

Gray matter volumes of early sensory regions are associated with individual differences in sensory processing

Sensory processing (i.e., the manner in which the nervous system receives, modulates, integrates, and organizes sensory stimuli) is critical when humans are deciding how to react to environmental demands. Although behavioral studies have shown that there are stable individual differences in sensory processing, the neural substrates that implement such differences remain unknown. To investigate this issue, structural magnetic resonance imaging scans were acquired from 51 healthy adults and individual differences in sensory processing were assessed using the Sensory Profile questionnaire (Brown et al.: Am J Occup Ther 55 (2001) 75-82). There were positive relationships between the Sensory Profile modality-specific subscales and gray matter volumes in the primary or secondary sensory areas for the visual, auditory, touch, and taste/smell modalities. Thus, the present results suggest that individual differences in sensory processing are implemented by the early sensory regions. Hum Brain Mapp 38:6206-6217, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.