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Age-related hearing loss (HL) is an increasing contributor to the global burden of disease in aging populations. Its interactions with major chronic diseases remain insufficiently characterized. We analyzed data from the Global Burden of Disease 2021 study for adults aged ≥ 45 years. YLDs for HL, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases (CVD), stroke, and depressive disorders were examined from 1990 to 2021. Data were stratified by age, sex, and region. Multivariate regression models and Pearson correlations were applied to evaluate associations, and a linear forecast projected HL burden to 2030. Visualizations included temporal trends, boxplots, and correlation heatmaps. Between 1990 and 2021, HL YLDs increased from 28.7 million to 67.9 million (+ 136.7%). Diabetes (+ 311.9%), CVD (+ 123.8%), and stroke (+ 112.6%) also rose substantially. Regression analysis indicated significant associations between HL and stroke (β = 1.798, p = 0.0010) and depression (β = 0.218, p < 0.001), whereas diabetes showed no independent effect and CVD displayed a negative relationship (β = -1.374, p = 0.0016). Correlation analyses revealed regional clustering, with HL aligning more closely with stroke than with diabetes or CVD. Forecasting projected HL YLDs to reach 75.6 million by 2030, underscoring its growing impact. HL has become a major global health challenge in aging populations, strongly linked to multimorbidity, particularly stroke and depression. Integrating auditory health into chronic disease frameworks and healthy aging strategies is essential to reduce future disease burden.
Xue et al. (Thu,) studied this question.