Pay Attention to your Hearing
What do we know?
Addressing hearing loss should be a priority.
Dementia is more common in people with untreated hearing loss. Even mild hearing loss doubles the risk of Dementia while severe hearing loss can lead to depression and a five times risk of Dementia. As hearing loss is so common with increasing age and it has a very severe impact on the likelihood of getting Dementia, and is so effectively treated, this really should be a priority. It is estimated that 8% of Dementia is caused by hearing loss – the largest modifiable risk factor after smoking cessation.
What’s New?
A study from Denmark with over 500,000 patients again showed that hearing loss is associated with a higher risk of Dementia, and that the risk is higher if hearing aids aren’t used[i].
Importantly, a large study from the US showed that increased levels of cognitive decline were noted in mild hearing loss[ii]. It also noted that using hearing aids stopped the decline in cognition – so it wasn’t just People with Dementia forgetting to use hearing aids.
How this link works is unclear. Clearly poor hearing can lead to social isolation and depression, but probably also interferes to a lesser degree with a person’s ability to be curious and inquisitive and so maintain cognitive reserve. The old adage applied to the brain is, “use it or lose it”. This seems to apply here as follow-up brain scans show people without hearing aids have increasing loss of volume in parts of the brain associated with Dementia.
[i] Hearing Loss, hearing aid use and risk of dementia. ML Canturia. JAMA. Otolaryngology. Jan 2024.
[ii] Association of Subclinical Hearing Loss with cognitive performance. JS Golub et al. JAMA Otolarynology Nov 2019.
What should we do?
Hearing loss affects two thirds of over 70 year olds, but is common in much younger people too. However, only about 10% of people with poor hearing use hearing aids.
Encouraging hearing tests and use of modern hearing aids is important. Good community follow-up of hearing aid users; help changing batteries and cleaning waxed up tubes can have a big impact – not just on hearing, but also on the ability to maintain social contact, avoid depression, lessen the risk of Dementia and slow its progression.
