Sex differences in associated factors for age-related hearing loss

Age-related hearing loss, or Presbycusis, is the most frequent sensory
deficiency in older adults and is associated with comorbidities such as falls,
cognitive decline, and frailty. Frailty is related to poor health outcomes in
old age. Recent research suggested that age-related hearing loss may be a
potentially modifiable risk factor for frailty, although inconclusive. The use
of animal models to study the correlation between age-related hearing loss and
frailty is important to test future interventions to be translated into clinical
practice. The aim of this study was to determine if there is an association
between age-related hearing loss and frailty in experimental animals based on
the human frailty phenotype. This research studied male and female C57Bl/6J mice
at different ages (6, 14, and 22 months). Auditory steady-state response
threshold shifts were measured at different frequencies. To assess frailty
status, we were based on the “Valence Score,” which consists of measuring:
weakness, weight loss, low level of activity, slowness, and little resistance.
We found that hearing is significantly lower in older age groups. The mice
become frail as they age. The worsening in auditory steady-state responses
threshold shifts with age correlates significantly with an increasing frailty.
No significant differences were found between both sexes. Our research is, to
our knowledge, the first carried out in experimental animals to establish the
association between age-related hearing loss and frailty, which would provide a
useful tool to evaluate future interventions in mice before translating them
into clinical practice.

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DOI: 10.1093/gerona/glae273
PMID: 39538965 [Indexed for MEDLINE]