Does hearing loss increase your risk of dementia, and does a hearing aid help?
Hearing loss demonstrably increases the risk of dementia, and a hearing aid appears to help, but proven protection for everyone has not yet been established. Have your hearing assessed regardless, if only because of the other health risks associated with hearing loss.
Hearing loss raises your risk of dementia, that much is clear. An analysis of more than 573,000 people shows that the risk is measurably higher in people with hearing loss than in those with normal hearing. The same picture emerges from 36 studies involving more than 20,000 participants. Estimates suggest that hearing loss in middle age accounts for around 9% of all dementia cases worldwide, making it one of the larger risk factors you can actually do something about.
The worse the hearing loss, the greater the risk. For every additional 10 decibels of hearing loss, the risk rises by a factor of 1.27. With severe hearing loss the estimates are even higher, but those figures come from small studies and are therefore uncertain. The link also holds for people who develop dementia before the age of 65.
Whether a hearing aid can help prevent dementia is not yet certain. People with hearing loss who wear a hearing aid appear to have a lower risk than those who do not, but this comes from research where you cannot rule out that other factors are at play. The one large experiment conducted so far, involving 977 participants aged 70 to 84, found no clear difference in cognitive decline over three years. Only in people who already had more risk factors for dementia was there a hint of a beneficial effect.
Aside from dementia, there are plenty of other reasons to address hearing loss. It is linked to social isolation, depression, and falls. If you are troubled by hearing loss, have it assessed, even if it is not yet certain whether a hearing aid helps prevent dementia.
Based on several large studies following people for years and a combined analysis of 36 studies (together involving tens of thousands of participants), plus one large experiment (ACHIEVE, n=977). A causal link has not yet been proven; research measuring association alone dominates. The possibility that the relationship runs the other way, that is, that early dementia leads to undetected hearing loss, cannot be fully ruled out.
Does poor hearing increase my risk of developing dementia?
Poor hearing is clearly linked to a higher risk of dementia, and the association is probably not coincidental. Getting your hearing tested and considering a hearing aid if loss is found is therefore a practical and worthwhile step.
Is there a link between depression and a higher risk of dementia?
Depression is strongly associated with a higher risk of dementia, though it remains uncertain whether depression causes dementia or is sometimes an early sign of it. Treating depression appears to lower the risk, so if you or someone close to you is experiencing depressive symptoms, it is worth taking them seriously and discussing them with a doctor.
Does a lithium deficiency increase the risk of dementia?
Research shows that lithium use is associated with lower rates of dementia, and in people with early memory problems there are initial indications that it may slow cognitive decline. Whether this also applies to advanced dementia remains unclear.
Does type 2 diabetes increase your risk of dementia?
Type 2 diabetes substantially increases the risk of dementia, and the younger you are at diagnosis, the greater that risk. Good blood sugar management and the choice of medication appear to be relevant; discuss this with your doctor if you have diabetes.
Does poor sleep cause dementia sooner?
Poor sleep probably increases your risk of dementia, but ordinary insomnia does not make dementia inevitable. One exception: if you physically act out your dreams while sleeping, discuss that with a doctor.