A comparison of hearing abilities in memory clinic patients with mild cognitive impairment and cognitively intact older adults

BackgroundEvidence on the prevalence and nature of hearing impairments among patients with Alzheimer's disease and other types of dementia is limited and inconsistent.ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to compare the proportion of individuals with hearing loss and the severity of hearing impairments in peripheral hearing and speech perception in noise of patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and cognitively intact older adults.MethodsParticipants included 40 patients with MCI recruited from a memory clinic and 60 community-dwelling cognitively intact older adults (Clinical Dementia Rating Score of 0 and Mini-Mental State Examination ≥ 26). All participants were assessed with pure-tone audiometry and a speech-in-noise test, and with cognitive tests tapping memory, processing speed, executive functions, attention, and language.ResultsNo significant difference was found in the proportion of individuals with peripheral hearing loss among patients with MCI and cognitively intact older adults (77.5% and 60%, respectively). Speech-in-noise did not differ between the groups either, not even when accounting for aided hearing in those participants that wore hearing aids in their daily life. About one third of patients with MCI did not perceive hearing problems, despite having objectively measured hearing loss. However, this proportion did not differ significantly from the group of cognitively intact older adults.ConclusionsDespite differences in cognitive status, this study did not show significant differences between the groups on measures of peripheral hearing, speech-in-noise, and subjective complaints of hearing when comparing memory clinic patients with cognitively intact older adults.