Longitudinal Blood Pressure Patterns from Mid-to-Late Life and Late-life Hearing Loss in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study

Author(s):  
James Ting ◽  
Kening Jiang ◽  
Simo Du ◽  
Joshua Betz ◽  
Nicholas Reed ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Hearing loss is prevalent and associated with adverse functional outcomes in older adults. Prevention thus has far-reaching implications, yet few modifiable risk factors have been identified. Hypertension may contribute to age-related hearing loss, but epidemiologic evidence is mixed. We studied a prospective cohort of 3,343 individuals from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study, aged 44-65 years at baseline with up to 30 years of follow-up. Methods Hearing was assessed in late-life (2016-17) using a better-ear audiometric pure tone average (PTA, 0.5, 1, 2, 4 kHz) and the Quick Speech-in-Noise (QuickSIN) test. Hypertension was defined as systolic blood pressure ≥140 mmHg, diastolic blood pressure ≥90 mmHg or antihypertensive medication use. Mid-life hypertension was defined by hypertension at two consecutive visits between 1987-89 and 1996-98. Late-life hypertension was defined in 2016-17. Late-life low blood pressure was defined as systolic blood pressure <90 mmHg or diastolic blood pressure <60 mmHg, irrespective of antihypertensive medication use. Associations between blood pressure patterns from mid-to-late-life and hearing outcomes were assessed using multivariable-adjusted linear regression. Results Compared to persistent normotension, persistent hypertension from mid-to-late-life was associated with worse central auditory processing (difference in QuickSIN score = -0.66 points, 95% CI: -1.14, -0.17) but not with audiometric hearing. Conclusions Participants with persistent hypertension had poorer late-life central auditory processing. These findings suggest that hypertension may be more strongly related to hearing-related changes in the brain than in the cochlea.

Circulation ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 143 (Suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Skow ◽  
J Coresh ◽  
J Deal ◽  
Rebecca F Gottesman ◽  
Jennifer Schrack ◽  
...  

Introduction: Greater late-life physical function decline is associated with incident adverse outcomes including disability and death. Hypertension is the strongest risk factor for stroke, the major cause of physical disability. Hypertension in mid-life has previously been associated with poor physical functioning in late-life; however, more evidence is needed to evaluate whether higher blood pressure in mid-life is associated with the rate of physical function decline during late-late in the absence of stroke. We hypothesized that elevated blood pressure in mid-life would be associated with greater physical function declines in late life. Methods: We studied 5,559 older adults in the ARIC Study (Visit 5; mean age: 75.8 years; range: 66.7-90.9 years; 58% women; 21% Black/79% White) without prior stroke or Parkinson disease who completed the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB, scored 0-12). Repeated SPPB assessments occurred at Visits 6 and 7 (median follow-up: 4.2 years). The exposure was a history of elevated blood pressure (BP) (Visit 1; mean age: 52.0 years; mean gap between mid- and late-life exams: 23.7 years). BP was modeled both categorically (hypertensive: SBP 140+ mmHg, DBP 90+ mmHg, or antihypertensive medication use; pre-hypertensive: SBP 120-139 mmHg or DBP 80-89 mmHg; else normotensive) and continuously. Random-slope, random-intercept mixed models with an independent covariance structure tested the association between BP and SPPB score change, adjusted for age, sex, race-site, BMI, education, heart disease and heart failure. Continuous analysis also adjusted for antihypertensive medication use. Results: SPPB scores declined an average of 1.60 points per 10 years (95% CI: -1.75, -1.46; p<0.001) among older adults who were normotensive in mid-life. Older adults with a previous measurement of hypertension declined an additional 0.94 points per 10 years (95% CI: -1.27, -0.60; p<0.001). Prehypertension was not statistically significantly associated with additional decline compared to mid-life normotension (estimate: -0.19 SPPB points/10 years; 95% CI: -0.53, 0.16; p=0.293). In the continuous analysis, each additional 10 mmHg higher mid-life systolic blood pressure above 120 mmHg was associated with an additional 0.24 point decline in SPPB per 10 years in late-life (95% CI: -0.31,-0.14; p<0.001). Conclusions: Elevated BP in mid-life provides insight into the rate of physical function decline decades later, with higher mid-life systolic blood pressure corresponding with steeper declines in late-life physical function even in the absence of stroke. Future research should investigate whether elevated blood pressure at multiple points in mid-life further informs the association.


Circulation ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 127 (suppl_12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shakia T Hardy ◽  
Laura R Loehr ◽  
Kenneth R Butler ◽  
Patricia P Chang ◽  
Aaron R Folsom ◽  
...  

Introduction: Rates of cerebrovascular disease, heart failure (HF), and coronary heart disease (CHD), increase progressively as blood pressure rises. Several authors have estimated the theoretical effects of shifting the population distribution of blood pressure; however few studies have examined the degree to which modest decrements in blood pressure affect HF incidence, or included a racially diverse population. Methods: Incident HF was identified by a first hospitalization with discharge diagnosis code of 428.X. Incident hospitalized (definite or probable) CHD and stroke were classified according to protocol. We used multivariable regression to estimate incidence rate differences (IRD) for HF, CHD, and stroke that could be associated with a two mm Hg reduction in systolic blood pressure (SBP) in 15,744 participants from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study. Results: Over a mean of 18.3 years of follow up, age-adjusted incidence rates for HF, CHD, and stroke were higher among African American than Caucasians (Table 1). After adjusting for antihypertensive use, gender, and age, a two mm Hg decrement in SBP across the total population was associated with an estimated 24/100,000 person-years (PY) and 39/100,000 PY fewer incident HF events in Caucasians and African Americans, respectively. The projected disease reductions were of smaller absolute magnitude for incident CHD and incident stroke. Extrapolation to the African American and Caucasian U.S. populations age greater than 45 years suggests that a two mmHg decrement in SBP could result in approximately 22,000 fewer incident HF events, 15,000 fewer incident CHD events, and 5,000 fewer incident stroke events annually. Conclusion: Our results suggest that modest shifts in SBP, consistent with what could theoretically be achieved through population level lifestyle interventions, could substantially decrease the incidence of HF, stroke, and CHD in the United States, especially among African American populations.


2016 ◽  
Vol 18 (12) ◽  
pp. 1222-1227 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hirofumi Tanaka ◽  
Gerardo Heiss ◽  
Elizabeth L. McCabe ◽  
Michelle L. Meyer ◽  
Amil M. Shah ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Florian Occelli ◽  
Florian Hasselmann ◽  
Jérôme Bourien ◽  
Jean-Luc Puel ◽  
Nathalie Desvignes ◽  
...  

Abstract People are increasingly exposed to environmental noise through the cumulation of occupational and recreational activities, which is considered harmless to the auditory system, if the sound intensity remains &lt;80 dB. However, recent evidence of noise-induced peripheral synaptic damage and central reorganizations in the auditory cortex, despite normal audiometry results, has cast doubt on the innocuousness of lifetime exposure to environmental noise. We addressed this issue by exposing adult rats to realistic and nontraumatic environmental noise, within the daily permissible noise exposure limit for humans (80 dB sound pressure level, 8 h/day) for between 3 and 18 months. We found that temporary hearing loss could be detected after 6 months of daily exposure, without leading to permanent hearing loss or to missing synaptic ribbons in cochlear hair cells. The degraded temporal representation of sounds in the auditory cortex after 18 months of exposure was very different from the effects observed after only 3 months of exposure, suggesting that modifications to the neural code continue throughout a lifetime of exposure to noise.


2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (06) ◽  
pp. 493-501
Author(s):  
Skylar Trott ◽  
Trey Cline ◽  
Jeffrey Weihing ◽  
Deidra Beshear ◽  
Matthew Bush ◽  
...  

AbstractEstrogen has been identified as playing a key role in many organ systems. Recently, estrogen has been found to be produced in the human brain and is believed contribute to central auditory processing. After menopause, a low estrogen state, many women report hearing loss but demonstrate no deficits in peripheral hearing sensitivity, which support the notion that estrogen plays an effect on central auditory processing. Although animal research on estrogen and hearing loss is extensive, there is little in the literature on the human model.The aim of this study was to evaluate relationships between hormonal changes and hearing as it relates to higher auditory function in pre- and postmenopausal (Post-M) females.A prospective, group comparison study.Twenty eight women between the ages of 18 and 70 at the University of Kentucky were recruited.Participants were separated into premenopausal and peri-/Post-M groups. Participants had normal peripheral hearing sensitivity and underwent a behavioral auditory processing battery and electrophysiological evaluation. An analysis of variance was performed to address the aims of the study.Results from the study demonstrated statistically significant difference between groups, where Post-M females had difficulties in spatial hearing abilities as reflected on the Listening in Spatialized Noise Test–Sentences test. In addition, measures on the auditory brainstem response and the middle latency response reflected statistically significant differences between groups with Post-M females having longer latencies.Results from the present study demonstrated significant differences between groups, particularly listening in noise. Females who present with auditory complaints in spite of normal hearing thresholds should have a more extensive audiological evaluation to further evaluate possible central deficits.


2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (9) ◽  
pp. 879-886 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jing Fang ◽  
Tiffany Chang ◽  
Guijing Wang ◽  
Fleetwood Loustalot

Abstract BACKGROUND Medication nonadherence is an important element of uncontrolled hypertension. Financial factors frequently contribute to nonadherence. The objective of this study was to examine the association between cost-related medication nonadherence (CRMN) and self-reported antihypertensive medication use and self-reported normal blood pressure among US adults with self-reported hypertension. METHODS Participants with self-reported hypertension from the 2017 National Health Interview Survey were included (n = 7,498). CRMN was defined using standard questions. Hypertension management included: (i) self-reported current antihypertensive medication use and (ii) self-reported normal blood pressure within the past 12 months. Adjusted prevalence and prevalence ratios of hypertension management indicators among those with and without CRMN were estimated. RESULTS Overall, 10.7% reported CRMN, 83.6% reported current antihypertensive medication use, and 67.4% reported normal blood pressure within past 12 months. Adjusted percentages of current antihypertensive medication use (88.6% vs. 82.9%, P &lt; 0.001) and self-reported normal blood pressure (69.8% vs. 59.5%, P = 0.002) were higher among those without CRMN compared with those with CRMN. Adjusted prevalence ratios showed that, compared with those with CRMN, those without CRMN were more likely to report current antihypertensive medication use (odds ratio = 1.08, 95% confidence interval 1.04–1.12) and self-reported normal blood pressure (1.15 (1.07–1.23)). CONCLUSIONS Among US adults with self-reported hypertension, those without CRMN were more likely to report current antihypertensive medication use and normal blood pressure within the past 12 months. Financial barriers to medication adherence persist and impact hypertension management.


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