Prevalence of hearing impairment in patients with mild cognitive impairment

Abstract – The correlation between hearing and cognition is well established in dementia, but not in mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Objective: The aim of the present study was to defi ne the prevalence of hearing impairment in elderly patients with MCI and in controls. Methods: Twenty-nine patients with MCI and 24 control subjects were analyzed. We evaluated memory and hearing impairments through clinical tests, including the Mini Mental Status Examination, Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) and Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly Screening (HHIE-S). Audiometries were performed in 22 patients with MCI and 19 subjects in a control group. Results: MCI patients showed more hearing complaints (68.9%) compared to the control group (25%) (p=0.001). No differences in the intensity of hearing complaints, measured by the HHIE-S, were detected. Nonetheless, dif-ferences between mean hearing threshold (MCI group=23.4±11.3 dB and control group=16.0±10.1dB) (p=0.03) were identifi ed. Conclusions: There is a signifi cant association between MCI and hearing impairment. Hearing impairment in MCI patients may be a contributory factor to cognitive decline. This may however be related to the same neuropathological process, due to lesions of cortical areas related to hearing. The early diagnosis of hearing impairment in MCI patients may offer a more appropriate approach to this disease. Key words: dementia, memory, hearing, audiometry, elderly, aged. Prevalência de defi cit auditivo em pacientes com comprometimento cognitivo leve Resumo – A relação entre audição e cognição está bem estabelecida em demências, porém não no comprome-timento cognitivo leve (CCL). Objetivo: Propomos um estudo para determinar a prevalência de defi cit auditiv