Abstract
IMPORTANCE: Dementia and hearing loss are prevalent and represent public health priorities, but little is known about the prevalence of hearing loss among persons living with dementia at a population level. OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of hearing loss and hearing aid use among a nationally representative sample of persons living with dementia. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: In this cross-sectional study, we analyzed data from Medicare beneficiaries who participated in round 11 of the National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS). The analytic sample included participants who had complete audiometric data and a dementia classification, and survey weights were applied to yield nationally representative estimates. Data were collected from June to November 2021, and analyzed from October 12, 2023, to February 27, 2024. EXPOSURES: Audiometric measures of hearing loss and self-reported hearing aid use. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: National prevalence estimates of possible and probable dementia and hearing loss were estimated by applying NHATS survey weights of sex and age to the population aged 71 years or older based on the US Census Bureau's 2020 American Community Survey data. RESULTS: The analytic sample comprised 2613 NHATS participants (74.6% aged 71-79 years and 25.4% aged ≥80 years; 52.9% female). Overall prevalence of hearing loss among participants with dementia was estimated at 79.4% (95% CI, 72.1%-85.3%). The prevalence of hearing loss increased with age, from 61.1% (95% CI, 37.7%-80.2%) among participants aged 71 to 74 years to 94.2% (95% CI, 88.8%-97.0%) among those aged 85 years or older. Among participants with hearing loss, 21.7% (95% CI, 16.2%-28.3%) reported hearing aid use. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: In this cross-sectional study, the findings suggest that hearing loss is highly prevalent among individuals with dementia, with a low prevalence of hearing aid use. These findings reveal a potential opportunity for intervention.