09-03-2019
Risk factors for depression include a wide variety of problems, whether it be suffering from a chronic illness, the loss of a loved one or the presence of depressive disorders among family members. However, researchers still manage to find further problems that may increase the risk of developing mood disorders. As reported by specialists at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, in older people, a factor that exacerbates the possibility of depression may be... hearing loss.
Hearingimpairment in the elderly is not uncommon - in fact, it is estimated that most patients aged 70 or older experience some degree of hearing loss. In theory, this would seem to be a minor problem, but in practice, hearing loss can have extremely significant consequences - a person with hearing loss may find it difficult to communicate with other people, for example, which can lead to social isolation. This, in turn, can result in further difficulties - isolation from other people sometimes encourages depressive disorders, for example.
The link between hearing loss and depression was looked at by scholars from the aforementioned American institution. They analysed data from more than 5,000 patients over the age of 50, who underwent audiometric testing and tests to determine whether they had symptoms of depression.
They found that depression and hearing loss were somehow linked. Those who had a mild degree of hearing loss had almost twice the risk of depressive disorders. And for those patients with significant hearing loss, the risk was increased by up to four times.
The authors of the study pointed out some shortcomings of the study: if only because it was conducted at a single point in time (and not over a longer period of time), it is not possible to conclude that hearing impairment causes depression. However, it is nevertheless noticeable that there is an association between hearing loss and depression, which would be worth evaluating in other studies already conducted in the future.
