Hearing loss causes up to a third of all cases of dementia: study

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We are all ears for promising developments in Alzheimer’s departure.

Dementia affects more than 6 million Americans and constitutes more than 100,000 deaths each year, with a startling study of NYU Langone health published last month, revealing that the risk is up to 35% for men and 48% for women after the age of 55.

But there is a note of hope between all bad news: the promise of new research suggests that treating a super -ordinary situation early can delay the onset of madness for years.

Scientists from Johns Hopkins University in Maryland who tracked nearly 3,000 seniors with hearing losses found that approximately one -third of all cases of dementia could be attributed to damage.

By publishing their Findings in Jama Otolaringology Magazine, the research team noted, “This suggests that hearing loss treatment can delay dementia for a large number of seniors. “

Researchers traced 2,946 adults aged 65 and older over eight years and found that 32% of all cases of dementia can be attributed to diagnosed loss of hearing.

For those with mild hearing loss, the risk of developing dementia was 16.2%. Among those with moderate to severe hearing loss, the risk increased to 16.6%.

The risk was slightly higher for women than for men, respectively 30.8% and 24%.

A larger number of cases attributed to hearing loss have occurred in people aged 75 and older.

The loss of self-reported hearing was substantially underestimated and was not accompanied by an increased risk of dementia.

Experts are unsure if hearing loss causes dementia directly or if it creates other risk conditions.

The team is hopeful that their findings will inspire changes in the way hearing loss detect and handle.

“Public health interventions aimed at losing clinically tested hearing can have extensive benefits to the prevention of dementia,” they said.

This latest research comes to the heels of a 2024 study from the lances that found nearly half of all Alzheimer’s cases can be delayed or prevented by addressing 14 risk factors.

In addition to hearing loss, madness risk factors include lower levels of education, high blood pressure, tobacco use, overweight, depression, diabetes, excessive alcohol intake, traumatic brain damage, air pollution, social insulation, loss of high cholesterol and a lifestyle.

The Lancet study also included 13 recommendations to help reduce the risk of dementia. Among these suggestions was that hearing aids be accessible to people who need them and reduce harmful noise exposure to reduce hearing loss.

Only about 20% of American adults who would benefit from a hearing aid use one. This may be because hearing loss tends to be an invisible disease.

Recent research from the University of Michigan found that millions of Americans are likely to have symptoms of dementia, but without official diagnosis, partly because patients misunderstand their symptoms as normal aging.

There is no cure for dementia, but early discovery can give patients and their caregivers time to plan for the future.

New research suggests that strength training can help protect dementia not only by improving cognitive function but also by changing the anatomy of the brain itself.