Hearing loss is linked to an increase in dementia risk, especially in people who don’t use hearing aids, according to a study published Thursday in JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery.
The authors called for more research because the risk was lower than in previous studies that showed a link exists. Past investigations have linked untreated hearing loss with falls, cognitive decline and a lower prevalence of dementia.
Manuella Lech Cantuaria, PhD, a researcher from the University of Southern Denmark, led the JAMA study. Data came from people in the country between 2003 and 2017. The team examined information on 573,088 people who were 50 years old and up and didn’t have dementia when the research began. The mean age of participants was 60.8 years old. Each person underwent hearing tests at the start of the study.
Over a 10-year span, 23,023 people developed dementia. A lot of them were men who were older and had lower income and education levels.
Hearing loss was linked to a 7% higher risk for developing dementia after researchers adjusted for other factors like education, age and sex. Mild hearing loss was linked to a higher risk for Alzheimer’s disease.
After 80 years old, people had stronger links between hearing loss and dementia. Using hearing aids was tied to a lower risk for dementia. The risk of developing dementia was 20% higher for people with hearing loss who didn’t use hearing aids, and 6% higher for people who used the devices. The authors said this suggests that hearing aid use could potentially delay or prevent dementia.
The news comes as another study out this week found that people who used hearing aids had a 24% lower risk for dying.
