Introduction Vision impairment (VI), hearing impairment (HI) and dual sensory impairment (DSI) are common conditions among older adults, significantly impacting health. Here, we examine associations between sensory impairments and risk of all-cause and cause-specific mortality and hospitalisations, and we explore whether these associations differ between men and women. Methods We conducted a cohort study of 5700 individuals aged 40+ years interviewed in the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (2004–2015) and followed in Danish registries until 2018. Cox and negative binomial regressions provided HRs and incidence rate ratios (IRRs) with 95% CIs, including sex interactions, enabling sex-specific estimates adjusted for sociodemographic and lifestyle factors. Results During follow-up, 1058 deaths, 16 468 inpatient and 54 380 outpatient hospitalisations occurred. VI (HR 1.22; 95% CI 1.01 to 1.47), HI (HR 1.20; 95% CI 1.01 to 1.43) and DSI (HR 1.37; 95% CI 1.06 to 1.76) were associated with increased mortality. In sex-stratified analyses, the associations with VI (HR 1.49; 95% CI 1.14 to 1.95) and HI (HR 1.30; 95% CI 1.03 to 1.63) were evident in men. DSI was associated with higher mortality from endocrine, circulatory and respiratory diseases. Among others, VI and HI increased the risk of death from mental disorders among men. VI (IRR 1.22; 95% CI 1.06 to 1.41) and DSI (IRR 1.34; 95% CI 1.05 to 1.69) were associated with more inpatient hospitalisations, while HI was associated with more outpatient hospitalisations (IRR 1.08; 95% CI 1.01 to 1.17). Hospitalisation rates were notably elevated for respiratory and nervous system diseases. Conclusions Sensory impairments are associated with increased risk of death and hospitalisation, particularly for men and specific types of diseases.
Ahrenfeldt et al. (Thu,) studied this question.