Like dementia, the prevalence of hearing loss increases with age. An estimated 30% of adults aged over 65 years are affected by hearing loss, and previous research suggests there may be a causal link between hearing loss and dementia. In a new study from a team led by Prof. Dongshan Zhu of Shandong University (China), researchers show using UK Biobank data that wearing hearing aids could reduce the risk of dementia in people with hearing difficulties, indicating a direct link between hearing loss and cognitive decline. UK Biobank is a longitudinal prospective population-based cohort which recruited 500,000 participants aged 40-69 years between 2006 and 2010, with regular follow-up to collect measures of cognitive and executive function alongside regular clinical tests, biomarker analyses, and (for a smaller group of participants) brain scans.
Thanks to linkage with hospital inpatient and other medical records, UK Biobank data can help researchers understand the influence of lifestyle and clinical risk factors on the development of disease, including dementia. In their study, Prof. Zhu and colleagues included 437,704 people, evaluating the incidence of dementia and analysing the influence of hearing loss, hearing aid use, and other factors such as social isolation, mood and loneliness. In their analyses, they found that people with hearing loss who didn’t use hearing aids were at increased risk of developing dementia, with an attributable risk proportion of 29.6%. In comparison, people with hearing loss who did use hearing aids were not at increased risk of dementia, confirming that hearing loss is a modifiable risk factor for dementia, and underlining the need to address hearing loss to reduce the risk of cognitive decline in old age.
Read the full article, here: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpub/article/PIIS2468-2667(23)00048-8/fulltext