Assessment of sensory impairment in older adults with dementia

Background: Over 55 million people worldwide are living with dementia. The rate of cognitive decline increases with age, and loss of senses may be a contributing factor. Objectives: This study aimed to analyze hearing, olfactory function, and color vision in patients with dementia. Materials and met...

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Main Authors: Nikol Gottfriedová, Martina Kovalová, Eva Mrázková, Ondřej Machaczka, Veronika Koutná, Vladimír Janout, Jana Janoutová
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Tsinghua University Press 2024-10-01
Series:Journal of Otology
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1672293024000539
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author Nikol Gottfriedová
Martina Kovalová
Eva Mrázková
Ondřej Machaczka
Veronika Koutná
Vladimír Janout
Jana Janoutová
author_facet Nikol Gottfriedová
Martina Kovalová
Eva Mrázková
Ondřej Machaczka
Veronika Koutná
Vladimír Janout
Jana Janoutová
author_sort Nikol Gottfriedová
collection DOAJ
description Background: Over 55 million people worldwide are living with dementia. The rate of cognitive decline increases with age, and loss of senses may be a contributing factor. Objectives: This study aimed to analyze hearing, olfactory function, and color vision in patients with dementia. Materials and methods: The sample comprised 40 patients with dementia and 37 cognitively normal controls aged 41–85 years. All participants underwent conventional pure-tone audiometry and a screening version of the Hearing Handicap Inventory for Adults, the Odorized Markers Test of olfactory function and the Ishihara color vision test. The effects of comorbidities and lifestyle factors were also assessed. Results: Patients with dementia had significantly worse hearing at almost all frequencies tested and significantly greater olfactory impairment than cognitively normal controls. Color vision impairment was found in less than 8% of the sample, with no significant difference between the groups. Impairment of two senses (hearing and olfaction) was significantly more common in patients with dementia than in controls. Conclusion: Individuals with dementia were found to have sensory decline, namely hearing and olfactory impairment. Color vision was rarely impaired in the sample. Participants with dementia tended to have more multisensory impairments than controls.
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spelling doaj-art-071c77d05ff54bb2af45101e4dc868672025-08-20T03:55:24ZengTsinghua University PressJournal of Otology1672-29302024-10-0119422022610.1016/j.joto.2024.11.001Assessment of sensory impairment in older adults with dementiaNikol Gottfriedová0Martina Kovalová1Eva Mrázková2Ondřej Machaczka3Veronika Koutná4Vladimír Janout5Jana Janoutová6Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ostrava, Czech RepublicDepartment of Epidemiology and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ostrava, Czech Republic; Department of Healthcare Management and Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Palacký University Olomouc, Czech Republic; Corresponding author. University of Ostrava, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Syllabova 19, Ostrava 3, 703 00, Czech Republic.Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ostrava, Czech RepublicDepartment of Healthcare Management and Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Palacký University Olomouc, Czech Republic; Center for Research and Science, Faculty of Health Sciences, Palacký University Olomouc, Czech RepublicDepartment of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Palacký University Olomouc, Czech RepublicDepartment of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Palacký University Olomouc, Czech RepublicDepartment of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Palacký University Olomouc, Czech RepublicBackground: Over 55 million people worldwide are living with dementia. The rate of cognitive decline increases with age, and loss of senses may be a contributing factor. Objectives: This study aimed to analyze hearing, olfactory function, and color vision in patients with dementia. Materials and methods: The sample comprised 40 patients with dementia and 37 cognitively normal controls aged 41–85 years. All participants underwent conventional pure-tone audiometry and a screening version of the Hearing Handicap Inventory for Adults, the Odorized Markers Test of olfactory function and the Ishihara color vision test. The effects of comorbidities and lifestyle factors were also assessed. Results: Patients with dementia had significantly worse hearing at almost all frequencies tested and significantly greater olfactory impairment than cognitively normal controls. Color vision impairment was found in less than 8% of the sample, with no significant difference between the groups. Impairment of two senses (hearing and olfaction) was significantly more common in patients with dementia than in controls. Conclusion: Individuals with dementia were found to have sensory decline, namely hearing and olfactory impairment. Color vision was rarely impaired in the sample. Participants with dementia tended to have more multisensory impairments than controls.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1672293024000539DementiaCognitive impairmentSensory impairmentHearing lossOlfactory lossColor vision
spellingShingle Nikol Gottfriedová
Martina Kovalová
Eva Mrázková
Ondřej Machaczka
Veronika Koutná
Vladimír Janout
Jana Janoutová
Assessment of sensory impairment in older adults with dementia
Journal of Otology
Dementia
Cognitive impairment
Sensory impairment
Hearing loss
Olfactory loss
Color vision
title Assessment of sensory impairment in older adults with dementia
title_full Assessment of sensory impairment in older adults with dementia
title_fullStr Assessment of sensory impairment in older adults with dementia
title_full_unstemmed Assessment of sensory impairment in older adults with dementia
title_short Assessment of sensory impairment in older adults with dementia
title_sort assessment of sensory impairment in older adults with dementia
topic Dementia
Cognitive impairment
Sensory impairment
Hearing loss
Olfactory loss
Color vision
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1672293024000539
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