Midlife hearing loss could increase dementia risk.The lack of a cure for dementia highlights the importance of interventions that can help mitigate risk through modifiable factors.
A new study showed that mild or greater hearing loss in midlife was associated with a 71% higher risk of dementia over a 15-year follow-up period.
The study also showed that individuals with mild or greater hearing loss were more likely to show deficits in cognitive function and elevated levels of brain imaging markers for dementia.
The use of hearing aids helped lower the risk of dementia among individuals with hearing loss, underscoring the importance of early detection and treatment of hearing problems.
Age-related hearing loss, the gradual and progressive loss of hearing in both ears with aging, is a common condition in older adults.
It affects around two in threeTrusted Source adults aged 70 years and older in the United States, and the risk of developing hearing loss increases with age, with its prevalence doublingTrusted Source with each decade after age 12.
Although hearing loss was previously considered a benign condition associated with aging, recent studies have shown that it is also associated with adverse health outcomes, including social isolation and cognitive decline.
A recent study published in JAMA Network OpenTrusted Source now shows that age-related hearing loss is associated with a 71% increase in the risk of dementia, and the use of hearing aids could help mitigate this risk.
