Elucidating The Burden of Dual-Sensory Impairment in Community-based Older Individuals in a Multi- Ethnic Society

We aimed to determine the prevalence, risk factors, patient-centered impact and health-related costs of three types of dual sensory impairment (DSI) in a multi-ethnic older Asian population.In this population-based, cross-sectional study (2017–2022) of 2,048 Asian adults aged ≥ 60 years, vision, hearing and olfactory impairments (VI, HI and OI) were assessed using validated clinical tests. DSI types included: VI + HI, VI + OI, and HI + OI. Age-, sex-, and ethnicity-adjusted prevalence rates (2020 Singapore Census) were calculated. Regression analyses identified associated risk factors, impacts and healthcare costs.Of the 2,048 participants (mean age±standard deviation [SD] 75.7±7; 49.5% female), prevalence rates of VI + OI, VI + HI, OI + HI were 1.0%, 7.3% and 21.7%, respectively. Older age (OR1.22) and multimorbidity (OR3.74) were significantly associated with VI + HI, while older age (OR1.23), males (OR3.62), living alone (OR2.37) and current smoking (OR2.51) were associated with higher odds of OI + HI. VI + HI was associated with lower HRQoL-scores (β: -0.025), while VI + HI (OR2.34) and OI + HI (OR2.05) were associated with lower IADL status. Significantly higher healthcare costs (2-fold) were found for OI + HI compared to those without.DSI, particularly OI + HI, is relatively prevalent in older Singaporean adults. Early identification and targeted screening of at-risk groups may mitigate adverse outcomes and healthcare cost, given the global ageing population.