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The Laterality of Age-Related Hearing Loss and Depression

Objective There is a known association between hearing loss (HL) and depressive symptoms. The objective was to establish if there is a stronger association with the left or right ear. Study Design Cross-sectional analysis of an ongoing prospective epidemiologic cohort study Setting Hispanic Community Health Study (US, multicentered). Patients Five thousand three hundred and twenty-eight adults 2:50 years old. Interventions None. Main Outcome Measures The main outcome was depressive symptoms, measured by the 10-Item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale-10 (CESD-10) and defined continuously and binarily. Subjects with CESD-10 2: 10 were categorized as having clinically significant depressive symptoms (CSDS). Linear and logistic regressions were performed to assess the association between depressive symptoms and hearing in each ear, controlling for hearing aid use, age, sex, educational level, study site, geographic background, cardiovascular disease, and antidepressant use. Results Mean age was 58.5 ± 6.3 years. Mean pure-tone average (PTA) was 20.3 ± 11.7 dB (range = 0 – 125) in the right ear and 20.3 ± 12.4 dB (range = -2.5 to 120) in the left. Multivariable regression adjusting for covariates demonstrated significant associations between depressive symptoms and HL in both the left and right ear. For every 20-dB worsening in right ear PTA, there was 0.89-point increase in CESD-10 (95% confidence interval = 0.59 – 1.2), and odds of CSDS increased 1.31 times (1.17 – 1.46). For every 20-dB worsening in left ear PTA, there was a 0.85-point increase in CESD-10 (0.55 – 1.14), and odds of CSDS increased 1.34 times (1.20 – 1.49). Conclusions Worsening hearing in the right and left ears individually was associated with increased depressive symptoms and odds of CSDS. No ear laterality was demonstrated.