[Hearing impairment in the population over 55 years of age and its relationship with chronic diseases and perceived health].

OBJECTIVE: Hearing is one of the essential senses for communication and its loss can impact the functional status, quality of life, cognitive functions, and well-being of people. The study objectives were to project the absolute number of older adults with hearing impairment in Brazil; and to estimate the prevalence of acquired hearing impairment and its association with sociodemographic characteristics, self-rated health, and chronic diseases.

METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Brazil with data from individuals (fifty-five years or older) from the 2013 National Health Survey (n=15,393). Prevalence was estimated with confidence intervals of 95%; associations were verified using the chi-square test (Rao-Scott) with a significance level of 5%. To assess the relationship between hearing impairment and chronic diseases, Poisson regression was used.

RESULTS: The prevalence of acquired hearing impairment was 3.8% (95% CI: 3.3-4.3); 73.7% reported limitations in their usual activities and 7.8% (95% CI: 5.3-11.3) attended a rehabilitation service. It was higher in men (4.7%; p<0.05), in those aged seventy-five years or older (9.8%; p<0.01), without a spouse/partner (4.8%; p<0.01), and in those with less education (4.7%; p<0.01). Also, hearing impairment was greater in those with heart disease (OR=1.62), lung disease/COPD (OR=2.63), arthritis/rheumatism (OR= 2.10), depression lung disease/COPD (OR=1.60), and in those who self-assessed their health as worse (OR=2.08).

CONCLUSIONS: There were statistically significant differences in the prevalence of acquired hearing impairment according to sociodemographic characteristics, chronic diseases, and health self-assessment.