Researchers from John Hopkins Medicine have discovered that hearing loss could indicate dementia. The study, which they tilted Hearing Loss is a Risk Factor for Dementia: a systematic review was in the Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology.
How researchers conducted the experiment
The team gathered 600 adults and analyzed them for 12 years. Through the data, they concluded that hearing loss is an indication that someone could have dementia in the future.
From studying the volunteers, they discovered that hearing loss could increase the chances that an individual will have dementia. Mild hearing loss tripled the chances of getting dementia. People that have moderate hearing loss, on the other hand, were five times more likely to get dementia. Researchers also used brain scans which showed that hearing loss increases the rate of brain atrophy.
Many other scientists have theorized a link between hearing loss and dementia. However, this is difficult to prove as people know very little about dementia. In addition, there has been no scientific evidence to back the speculation.
Researchers developed theories to support their findings
The researchers set off to find a link between dementia and hearing loss. For this reason, they analyzed 17 studies on the subject. Their findings led them to theorize that hearing loss increased the cognitive load. For this reason, the brain would use more cognitive resources for auditory processing. One of the cognitive processes that hearing loss affected was working memory. They also theorized that it caused social isolation as many people did not want to be around others if they couldn’t hear. This factor also contributed to dementia.
These findings come at a great time as the number of people who have dementia goes up. Dementia is a severe neurological illness that affects about 50 million people worldwide. Experts believe this number will have tripled by 2050, making it a global emergency.
For years now, many people have ignored the impact of this disease. However, this is slowly changing as researchers carry out studies to find out more about the disease. They hope to find a better way to diagnose the disease early and more effective treatments.
While many people know about dementia, few know about its risk factors. This study shows a correlation between hearing loss and dementia and identifies the former as a risk factor for the disease.
