Risk of dementia due to hearing loss

How untreated hearing loss can increase the risk of dementia

Scientists repeatedly point to a connection between dementia and hearing loss. Studies also confirm the positive effect of using hearing aids. The cochlear implant offers another possibility.

We all want to live a long life. Of course, this includes ageing as well as the associated changes: less muscle strength, declining concentration, weaker eyesight and reduced hearing.

Link between age-related hearing loss and the risk of dementia

One in three older people is affected by age-related hearing loss. That's around 300 million people worldwide. At the same time, over 50 million people over the age of 65 are diagnosed with dementia. Experts see a connection and want to work on prevention and treatment options.

Multiple interactions

It is not only the function of the ear that is responsible for understanding speech, but also the adequate processing of signals in the auditory cortex, the hearing center of the cerebral cortex. Reduced cognitive abilities can also affect speech comprehension in everyday life.

The interaction of these processes has not yet been sufficiently tested, but it has been shown that hearing impairment is a risk factor for dementia. On the other hand, everyone needs cognitive performance in order to understand what they hear. Hearing impaired people have to perform additional thinking in everyday life in order to cognitively supplement what they have not understood auditively. Cognitive impairments therefore have a direct impact on speech comprehension.

In addition to an increased risk of dementia, social isolation and depression, often due to a lack of communication, are also possible consequences of pronounced hearing problems. Both are seen as further possible triggers for dementia. On the other hand, social engagement is considered to prevent dementia, for which good hearing could in turn play a role.

Overcoming hearing loss with the right hearing systems

A recent long-term study at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, found that hearing loss is the largest preventable risk factor for dementia, accounting for 25 percent. Another study shows that test subjects with mild hearing loss are 30 percent more likely to develop dementia than those with normal hearing. The more severe the hearing loss, the greater the risk of dementia.
Researchers predict that if hearing loss could be completely prevented, there would be significantly fewer cases of dementia each year!
According to experts, hearing aids or cochlear implants, especially for patients with severe hearing loss, can make an important contribution to preventing dementia. They can be the reason to stay mentally fit and therefore healthier for longer, even in old age.