Background and objectives: Hearing loss is the largest potentially modifiable risk factor for dementia. Early evaluation and intervention are crucial for older adults with cognitive impairment. However, pure-tone audiometry (PTA), the gold standard, may have limitations. This study reviewed auditory tests for detecting hearing loss in this population, comparing to PTA.
Materials and methods: Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, we conducted a systematic review in PubMed, Scopus, and Embase. Ten studies (1,071 participants) comparing auditory tests and PTA in patients with dementia and mild cognitive impairment were included.
Results: Electrophysiological and behavioral tests demonstrated strong correlation and accurate hearing impairment detection compared to PTA. Conversely, self-reported assessment showed weaker correlations when aligned with hearing thresholds.
Conclusions: This study highlights the potential of electrophysiological and behavioral auditory tests in detecting hearing impairment in older adults with cognitive impairment, emphasizing the need for further research to develop practical screening protocols for this vulnerable population.
Keywords: Audiometry; Cognitive impairment; Dementia; Hearing loss; Hearing screening.