Hearing Loss Linked to Increased Risk for Dementia

FRIDAY, Jan. 5, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Hearing loss is associated with an increased risk for dementia, with further increased risk for those not using hearing aids, according to a study published online Jan. 4 in JAMA Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.

Manuella Lech Cantuaria, Ph.D., from Odense University Hospital and the University of Southern Denmark, and colleagues examined the association between hearing loss and incident dementia and how hearing aids contribute to this association in a population-based study involving all residents of Southern Denmark aged 50 years and older. The analysis included 573,088 persons, with 23,023 cases of dementia, who were followed for 8.6 years.

The researchers found that hearing loss was associated with an increased risk for dementia compared with no hearing loss (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.07). An increased risk for dementia was seen with severe hearing loss in the better ear and worse ear, with hazard ratios of 1.20 and 1.13, respectively, compared with no hearing loss in the corresponding ear. The risk for dementia was higher among people with hearing loss who were not using hearing aids than those with hearing loss who were using hearing aids compared with those without hearing loss, with hazard ratios of 1.20 and 1.06, respectively.

"Although the clinical relevance of these findings is still unclear, the study results suggest that treatment of hearing loss with hearing aids may be associated with reduced risk of dementia, which calls for a better understanding of the association between hearing loss and dementia as a critical step for the development of prevention strategies," the authors write.

One author disclosed financial ties to Oticon, GN Hearing, and Widex-Sivantos.

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