Dementia associated with hearing loss

A cross-sectional study of Medicare beneficiaries showed that moderate-to-severe hearing loss was associated with a higher prevalence of dementia.

Among 2,413 older adults in the National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS), the prevalence of dementia in those with moderate-to-severe hearing loss was higher than in those with normal hearing (prevalence 1.61, 95 % CI 1.09-2.38). , reported by Nicholas Reed, AuD, and his colleagues at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore.

However, among people with moderate-to-severe hearing loss in this study, hearing aid use was associated with a lower prevalence of dementia compared with no hearing aid use (Prevalence 0.68, 95% CI 0.47-1.00), they wrote. jam research paper.

The findings support recent systematic reviews and meta-analyses that showed that treatment of hearing loss leads to cognitive benefits. The new regulations also support the availability of direct over-the-counter hearing aids for people with mild to moderate hearing loss.

Reed and colleagues used data from an ongoing NHATS panel study of Medicare beneficiaries. The NHATS cohort was oversampled by age (53.3% above his age 80) and race (18.8% black). Participant information collected through in-home interviews.

Hearing was assessed with a portable audiometer. The researcher calculated the better ear’s pure tone average as the average of his four frequencies of 500, 1,000, 2,000, and 4,000 Hz. This is most important for understanding conversations.

Normal hearing was defined as a pure tone average of 25 dB or less, a mild hearing loss of 26–40 dB, and a moderate-to-profound hearing loss of 40 dB or greater. About one-third (33.47%) of the participants showed normal hearing after weighing. 36.74% had mild hearing loss and 29.79% had moderate to severe hearing loss. Those with moderate-to-severe hearing loss tended to be older men, white, and less educated than others.

The weighted prevalence of dementia was 10.27% overall. The prevalence of dementia increased with increasing severity of hearing loss. For normal hearing, it was 6.19%. For mild hearing loss it was 8.93%. 16.52% for moderate to severe hearing loss.

The cross-sectional design of this study was marginal. Additionally, nursing home and residential care residents were excluded from the analysis because the researchers did not have cognitive data on them.

The greatest modifiable risk factor for dementia prevention is hearing loss, which accounts for 8% of the global dementia burden according to a recent study. lancet commission report.

“This study improves what we have observed about the link between hearing loss and dementia and builds support for public health action to improve access to hearing care,” said co-author Allison. Dr. Huang said in a statement.

It is not clear how hearing loss is associated with dementia, and studies point to several possible mechanisms. Randomized trials are needed to determine the effects of hearing interventions on relief,” write Reed and colleagues.

Hearing loss treatment and cognition information from the 3-year randomized ACHIEVE trial will be published later this year.