Objective To explore the relationship between hearing loss and cognitive function in the elderly population through propensity score matching method.Methods We analyzed the data of 7605 participants aged 60 and above who were included in the 2018 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study(CHARLS).The non-substitutable 1∶1 nearest neighbor matching method without caliper value was used for propensity score matching and G-computation was used to estimate the average treatment effect(ATE)of hearing loss on all dimensions of cognitive function.Results Before matching,there were 3626(47.68%)women,with 1409(18.53%)of whom suffering from hearing loss and 3031(39.86%)of whom suffering from cognitive impairment.After matching,1409 subjects were included in the hearing loss group and 1409,in the normal hearing group,with both groups sharing similar distribution of basic demographic characteristics.The results for the average treatment effect of the population indicated that the cognitive function scores of the hearing loss group were lower than those of the normal hearing group,with the overall cognitive function being 0.593 points lower(95%confidence intervel[CI]:-0.916--0.257,P<0.001),orientation being 0.183 points lower(95%CI:-0.302--0.055,P=0.004),immediate memory being 0.150 points lower(95%CI:-0.218--0.085,P<0.001),and language skills being 0.178 points lower(95%CI:-0.303--0.058,P=0.006).The prevalence of cognitive impairment of the hearing loss group was 4.2%higher than that of the normal hearing group(95%CI:0.007-0.077,P=0.020).Conclusion Hearing loss adversely affects the orientation,memory,and language skills of the elderly population and forms a potential risk factor for cognitive impairment in the elderly population.

Objective To investigate the prevalence and influencing factors of isolated diastolic hypertension(IDH)in the Tibetan population in Tibet and to provide some evidence for the prevention and control of hypertension and other related diseases in high-altitude areas.Methods A multistage stratified whole-group random sampling method was used to enroll participants from Ngari Prefecture,Nagqu City,Shannan City,and Lhasa City,Tibet.A total of 3 918 native Tibetans with complete data were enrolled in the survey between June 2020 and August 2023.The participants were aged from 18 to 80.The demographic data,life habits,and chronic disease prevalence of the participants were collected.Fasting venous blood samples were collected to perform the routine blood tests and blood biochemistry tests.The prevalence of IDH in subgroups with different characteristics was analyzed and the influencing factors were analyzed by multivariate logistic regression,accordingly.The predictive value of influencing factors on the prevalence of IDH was analyzed by the receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve and the findings were compared with those of the previous prediction models for IDH.Results The prevalence of hypertension in the participants was 33.7%(n=1 321),among which,395 had IDH,accounting for 29.9%of the hypertensive patients.The results of multivariate regression showed that age,heart rate,body mass index,waist circumference,hemoglobin,and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol were associated with risks of developing IDH(P＜0.05).The area under the ROC curve(AUC)was 0.71,which indicated improved accuracy for predicting the risks for IDH in comparison with previous predictive models for IDH.Among the influencing factors,BMI showed the best predictive value for IDH risks.Conclusion The prevalence of IDH is high among Tibetans in Tibet,suggesting the necessity for rational allocation of health resources in accordance.Compared with the previous IDH prediction models,the model proposed in this study is more suited for the Tibetan population.Targeted interventions should be carried out for the high-risk populations,such as young and middle-aged adults and populations suffering from overweight/obesity,central obesity,high-altitude polycythemia,and dyslipidemia,so as to effectively control the occurrence and development of IDH.