Journal paper describes rationale and design of the new ASPREE hearing sub-study
Loss of hearing can have a profound effect on a person’s independence and quality of life.
Up to two-thirds of people over the age of 70 years will experience hearing loss associated with ageing and there is no known single cause and no known cure.
It is possible that low level inflammation and damage to small blood vessels within the ear leads to age-related hearing loss.
The ASPREE-Hearing (Aspirin in HEAring Retinal vessels, Inflammatory markers, Neurocognition in older age Groups) sub-study will investigate whether aspirin prevents age-related hearing loss by reducing inflammation in the inner ear or by affecting blood flow.
ASPREE-Hearing will also study the effect of aspirin on the relationship between hearing loss and changes in thinking and memory.
If aspirin proves to be beneficial, it may offer a new way to reduce age-related hearing loss in future generations.
More than 1200 ASPREE-Hearing participants undertake hearing tests, questionnaires about hearing, retinal photographs (specialised photography of the back of the eye), and thinking and memory exercises (mostly undertaken as part of the main ASPREE study).
Retinal photographs will help determine if blood vessels in the back of the eye are consistent with changes in memory and thinking or hearing
ASPREE participants have been allocated 100 mg of enteric-coated aspirin or a placebo tablet. Results will be collated in 2018 to determine whether daily-low dose aspirin helps prevent or reduce age-related hearing loss.
Lowthian JA, Britt CJ, Rance G, Lin FR, Woods RL, Wolfe R, Nelson MR, Dillon HA, Ward S, Reid CM, Lockery JE, Nguyen TT, McNeil JJ, Storey E. Slowing the progression of age-related hearing loss: Rationale and study design of the ASPIRIN in HEARING, retinal vessels imaging and neurocognition in older generations (ASPREE-HEARING) trial. Contemp Clin Trials. 2015 Nov: 46; 60-66 doi: 10.1016/j.cct.2015.11.014
Updated 03.03.2021