FAMILIAL AND BIRTH COHORT EFFECTS ON THE AGING SENSES

描述（主要研究者提供）：这项流行病学研究的目的是确定比弗坝后代研究（BOSS）队列中听力、视力和嗅觉障碍、感觉共病和年龄相关性黄斑变性的5年发病率，潜在危险因素与这些感觉障碍和眼部疾病的相关性，风险的代际差异，并确定听力障碍的遗传标记。受试者是BOSS的参与者，基线检查时年龄为21-84岁（2005-2008年）。拟议的检查将使用与基线检查相同的标准化方案，并将包括听力评估（耳镜检查、筛查性鼓室压测试、听力测试、单词识别和分听测试、畸变产物耳声发射）、眼科检查（屈光、视敏度测量、对比敏感度以及透镜和视网膜的数字图像）、嗅觉测试（圣地亚哥气味识别测试）和血管测量（内膜中层厚度、血压、视网膜小动脉和小静脉口径和脉搏波速度）。将完成关于病史、生活方式因素和药物使用的标准化问卷。将在储存的基线样本上测量炎症标志物（VCAM-1、TNF-1、hsCRP），以确定其与感觉障碍发生率的相关性。将使用心血管疾病、炎症和糖尿病候选基因的50，000个SNP组对BOSS中年龄为45-79岁的成年人和听力损失流行病学研究（AG 11099）中的父母队列的储存样本进行基因分型。这项对中年人的研究将提供有关婴儿潮时期（1946-64）出生的人与早期出生的人相比感觉障碍流行病学的重要新信息。我们认为，这些感觉障碍有共同的潜在危险因素，可能通过炎症和血管途径发挥作用。这项研究将有助于制定针对中年的干预措施，以预防或延迟这些衰老的感觉障碍的发生，并为规划提供必要的信息，以满足老龄化婴儿潮一代的医疗保健需求。公共卫生相关性：这项拟议中的研究将提供有关中年人听力、嗅觉和视力障碍以及年龄相关性黄斑变性风险的重要信息。了解与这些疾病发展相关的因素可能会导致针对改善未来老年人健康的新治疗方法。

DESCRIPTION (provided by principal investigator): The purpose of this epidemiologic study is to determine the 5-year incidence of hearing, vision, and olfactory impairments, sensory co-morbidity and age-related macular degeneration in the Beaver Dam Offspring Study (BOSS) cohort, the associations of potential risk factors with these sensory impairments and ocular disorders, generational differences in risk and identify genetic markers for hearing impairment. Subjects are participants in the BOSS and were 21-84 years of age at the baseline examination (2005-2008). The proposed examination will use the same standardized protocols used in the baseline examination and will include a hearing evaluation (otoscopy, screening tympanometry, audiometry, word recognition and dichotic listening tests, distortion product otoacoustic emissions), eye examination (refraction, visual acuity measures, contrast sensitivity, and digital images of the lens and retina), olfaction testing (San Diego Odor Identification Test), and vascular measures (intima-medial thickness, blood pressure, retinal arteriolar and venular calibers, and pulse wave velocity). A standardized questionnaire about medical history, life-style factors and medication usage will be completed. Inflammatory markers (VCAM-1, TNF-1, hsCRP) will be measured on stored baseline samples to determine their associations with the incidence of sensory impairments. Stored samples from adults, ages 45-79 yrs in the BOSS and the parent cohort seen in the Epidemiology of Hearing Loss Study (AG11099), will be genotyped using a 50,000 SNP panel of candidate genes for cardiovascular disease, inflammation and diabetes. This study of middle-aged adults will provide important new information about the epidemiology of sensory impairments in the people born during the baby-boom period (1946-64) compared to people born in earlier periods. We propose that these sensory impairments share common underlying risk factors which may operate through inflammatory and vascular pathways. This study will contribute to developing interventions targeted at mid-life to prevent or delay the onset of these sensory disorders of aging and essential information for planning to meet the health care needs of the aging baby-boom generation. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The proposed study will contribute important information about the risk of developing hearing, olfaction and vision impairments and age-related macular degeneration in middle-aged adults. Understanding factors associated with the development of these conditions could lead to new treatments targeted at improving health for tomorrow's elders.