Year: 2012
Type: article
Abstract: Hearing loss and dementia are conditions that impact similar populations. Many adults do not seek audiologic care for their hearing loss and thus are seen in the primary care physician’s office with an undiagnosed hearing loss. This study sought to determine the impact of undiagnosed hearing loss and thus decreased audibility on the items of the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) commonly used to diagnose dementia. Many physicians use the MMSE along with self-report of cognitive decline to diagnose dementia. Previous studies have suggested that self-report of cognitive decline is impacted by hearing loss. This study suggests that a decrease in audibility that would be associated with an undiagnosed hearing loss significantly impacts performance on the MMSE. Physicians should be cautious when using the MMSE and self-report of cognitive impairment to diagnose dementia without accounting for hearing loss as both may be significantly impacted by undiagnosed hearing loss.
Author: Lindsey Jorgensen
Language: English
Subfield: Speech and Hearing
Field: Health Professions
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2124557345