Sensory impairments and epigenetic aging: insights from self-rated hearing and vision in United States adults

Sensory impairments are common with aging, but studies examining the relationships of these impairments with DNA methylation-based biomarkers of aging, strong predictors of morbidity and mortality, remain sparse. We investigated whether subjective measures of sensory impairment are associated with epigenetic age biomarkers. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis in a representative sample of 2344 U.S. adults from the 1999-2000 and 2001-2002 cycles of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). We examined the relationships of self-rated auditory and vision function with seven epigenetic aging biomarkers: HannumAge, HorvathAge, SkinBloodAge, PhenoAge, GrimAge2, DNA methylation telomere length, and DunedinPoAm. We adjusted for potential confounders including chronological age, other demographics, lifestyle factors, and general health. In adjusted survey-weighted models, self-reported deafness was associated with a significantly higher GrimAge2 (β = 4.19-years, 95% CI 2.29, 6.09, P = 0.004) and DunedinPoAm (β = 0.07, 95% CI 0.04, 0.09, P = 0.002) compared to good hearing. Deafness was also associated with significantly higher GrimAge2 estimates of TIMP1 (β = 459.51, 95% CI 287.00, 632.03 P = 0.002) and marginally higher estimated levels of ADM (β = 10.06, 95% CI 1.76, 18.36, P = 0.03), CRP (β = 0.34, 95% CI 0.11, 0.56, P = 0.01), and cigarette pack-years (β = 6.55, 95% CI 2.62, 10.47, P = 0.01). No associations were observed with self-rated vision. We describe associations of self-rated deafness with accelerated epigenetic aging, as measured by GrimAge2 and DunedinPoAm. These results provide a foundation for future research exploring epigenetic biomarkers as tools for predicting and understanding the biological processes underlying sensory impairments like deafness.