New research reveals that hearing loss is common among older adults, including those with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), but objective hearing measures do not differ significantly from cognitively intact individuals. A study compared hearing abilities in 40 memory clinic patients with MCI and 60 cognitively healthy older adults. Researchers found no significant differences between the groups in peripheral hearing loss, speech perception in noise, or self-reported hearing issues.
Objective hearing tests, including pure tone audiometry and speech-in-noise assessments, showed similar performance in both groups. This held true even when accounting for hearing aid use. Notably, about one-third of patients with MCI did not report hearing problems despite having objectively measured hearing loss, a proportion similar to that in the control group.
The findings suggest that subjective hearing complaints may not always align with measured hearing impairment in older adults undergoing cognitive evaluation. Clinicians are advised to use objective hearing assessments when evaluating communication difficulties or cognitive performance in memory clinic patients.
Overall, the study did not identify meaningful differences in hearing abilities between patients with MCI and their cognitively healthy peers. The data highlight hearing loss as a widespread issue in later life, irrespective of cognitive status, and suggest that MCI alone does not predict worse hearing performance.