Few studies have investigated whether dual sensory impairment (DSI) adversely affects the deterioration of physical function in older adults compared to single sensory impairment (SSI, visual or auditory). We studied the association between DSI and declining physical function by analyzing the data of 2780 Korean community-dwelling adults aged 70-84 years. Sensory impairment was assessed through pure tone audiometry and visual acuity testing. Muscle strength (handgrip strength) and physical performance (timed up and go test and short physical performance battery (SPPB)) were evaluated. In the cross-sectional analysis, DSI was associated with higher odds of having low muscle strength (odds ratio (OR), 1.78; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.27-2.48) and poor physical performance (SPPB: OR, 2.04; 95% CI, 1.38-3.00) than SSI. Among all sensory impairment groups in the longitudinal analysis, DSI at baseline increased the risk of deteriorating physical performance during the follow-up period (OR, 1.94; 95% CI, 1.31-2.88; p < 0.01) the most. DSI showed a more severe adverse effect on the decline in physical function among community-dwelling older adults than SSI. More comprehensive care is needed to prevent the deterioration of physical function in older adults due to DSI.
Keywords: hearing loss; muscle strength; physical functional performance; sensation disorders; vision disorders.