| Summary: | Abstract Hearing impairment (HI) is a common sensory impairment among ageing adults. It has been associated with worse health status, psychosocial problems, depression, and even dementia. With the increasing proportion of older individuals in Western countries, the number of hearing-impaired people is growing. This creates an increased need for resources for hearing health care. The aim of this study was to investigate epidemiological aspects of HI among ageing adults in Northern Finland, in the Oulu region and among indigenous Saami living in northernmost Finland. Both the incidence and change in hearing thresholds were studied in a longitudinal setting. In addition, the impact of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and CVD-related risk factors on HI were studied. The impact of CVD on hearing threshold changes over a 13-year time frame was also analysed. The subjects of the Oulu sample were randomly sampled from the population register by postal code and the year of birth. Of the 850 baseline participants, with a mean age of 61 years, 599 participated in the follow-up study 13 years later at a mean age of 74 years. In the Saami population, 514 participants participated with an age range of 49–77 years (mean age 61 years). A structured interview based on an extensive questionnaire, otological examination and pure-tone audiometry were performed. The overall prevalence of HI (at least 20 dB in the better ear) increased from 26.7% to 70.3% among the Oulu sample during the 13-year follow-up. No association between CVD and HI was observed in the baseline study or between CVD and hearing threshold changes in the follow-up study. Heavy smoking was found to be a risk factor for HI in both men and women. Obesity and lower socioeconomic class were risk factors for HI in men only. The overall incidence rate for HI was 45.8 per 1000 person years, and the 13-year cumulative incidence was 60.9%. Among Saami, both measured (37.2%) and self-reported HI (46.9%) were common. These results indicate that HI is highly prevalent and ...
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