A new study has shown that the use of hearing aid can reduce the risk of dementia even though hearing loss is attributed to increased risk. Around 23% of Americans above 12 years have hearing loss; although most have mild hearing loss, for individuals above 80 years, moderate to severe hearing loss is a common problem.
Hearing loss increases the risk of developing dementia
Moderate to severe hearing loss is disruptive and has been associated with the onset of dementia. A new study published in JAMA explains why moderate-to-severe hearing loss is disruptive and what individuals can do about it.
The study evaluates adults in the US from the National Health and Aging Trends Study, which tracks Medicare beneficiaries. The sampled subjects were 70 years and above. Findings indicated that around 33% of the subjects had normal hearing, 37 experienced mild hearing loss, and 30% had moderate to severe hearing loss.
Interestingly dementia was less common in individuals with normal hearing at 6%, more often in individuals with mild hearing loss at 9%, and was highest in those subjects with moderate-to-severe hearing loss at 17%. This is a large difference in risk, especially in individuals with moderate to severe hearing loss.
Also, the study examined dementia and hearing loss objectively, in contrast to earlier studies. According to earlier studies, hearing loss is estimated to cause 8% of dementia cases globally. It is still being determined why the link exists.
Hearing aids can reduce dementia risk
It’s crucial to remember that most of the research that discovered this connection relied on participant survey data. No one assessed the participants’ hearing to ensure that neither the research subjects had hearing impairment nor that overall hearing was normal. But, in this current study, the research team assessed participants’ hearing for four sound intensity bands crucial for interpreting speech using an electronic audiometer.
Individuals with hearing loss should not worry about the risk of developing dementia. The study found that individuals with moderate-to-severe hearing loss can reduce the risk by wearing hearing aids.
