New research suggests there is a possible link between hearing and vision loss and a higher risk of stroke and heart attack, with dual sensory impairment compounding the risk.
The Chinese study of middle-aged and older adults with difficulties hearing or seeing found that people with either condition had an elevated risk of cardiovascular disease compared to those with good eyesight or hearing.
And having both hearing and vision impairment further increased the risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke and heart attack over just one sensory impairment.
Compared with participants without vision or hearing loss, individuals with dual sensory impairment of both had a 1.35‐fold increased risk of cardiovascular disease.
“The study provides evidence that vision impairment, hearing impairment and dual sensory impairment are associated with cardiovascular disease in Chinese middle‐aged and elderly adults,” researchers said in the Journal of the American Heart Association on 22 October 2024.
They used data from the CHARLS (China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study) for their survey of 11,332 participants which collected information on hearing impairment and vision impairment through self-reported questions.
During seven years’ follow‐up, 2,156 people experienced cardiovascular disease including 745 stroke and 1,605 cardiac events.
People with vision impairment had a higher risk of cardiovascular disease than those without eye problems, and those with impaired hearing also had a higher risk of cardiovascular disease than those without hearing loss.
The researchers said many previous studies had shown that vision impairment or hearing impairment alone had an impact on cardiovascular disease, indicating that they may be a potential risk factor affecting the occurrence of heart disease.
But previous studies had not fully elucidated the impact of dual sensory impairment.
“Our study shows that hearing and vision impairment have a combined effect on the incidence of cardiovascular disease,” the researchers said.
“In addition, individuals with dual sensory impairment also had increased risk of stroke and cardiac events.
“Our findings suggest that consideration of sensory impairment and appropriate treatments such as use of glasses and hearing aids should be a target for further research to reduce cardiovascular disease risk.”
Possible mechanisms
The researchers from the Wuxi School of Medicine, Jiangnan University said mechanisms could include lack of exercise as engaging in traditional physical activity could be difficult or people with vision or hearing loss.
The association between hearing impairment and heart disease may also be mediated by smoking and atherosclerosis risk factors.
Thirdly, cognitive impairment, which was associated with hearing loss, may be a link between sensory impairment and increased cardiovascular disease risk.
Fourthly, sensory impairment affected daily communication and cognitive abilities in older adults, which may result in depression, anxiety and increasing psychological burden, affecting mental health. This could hinder information exchange and social participation, affecting physical activity and resulting in altered physical functioning.
“Sensory impairment may also lead to impaired understanding of medical treatments and compliance with medications over the long term, thus leading to increased risk of cardiovascular events,” they concluded.
Compared with participants without vision or hearing loss, individuals with dual sensory impairment of both had a 1.35‐fold increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Image: leungchopan/stock.adobe.com.
