A recent study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that older people with severe hearing loss were more likely to have dementia, however, the likelihood of dementia was lower in older adults. hearing aid users than among non-users. The study, which analyzed a nationally representative sample of more than 2,400 older adults, supports previous research that suggests hearing loss may be a contributing factor to dementia risk over time, and that treating the loss hearing may reduce the risk of dementia.
The results highlight the potential benefits of hearing aids.
A new study found that older people with more severe hearing loss were more likely to have dementia, but the likelihood of dementia was lower among hearing aid users than among non-users. Scientists from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health conducted the research.
The findings, from a nationally representative sample of more than 2,400 older adults, are consistent with previous studies showing that hearing loss may be a contributing factor to dementia risk over time, and that treating the loss hearing may reduce the risk of dementia.
The findings are highlighted in a research letter published online January 10, 2023, in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
“This study refines what we have observed about the link between hearing loss and dementia, and strengthens support for public health action to improve access to hearing care,” says lead author Alison Huang, PhD. , MPH, senior research associate at the Bloomberg School. Department of Epidemiology and at the Cochlear Center for Hearing and Public Health, also at the Bloomberg School.
Hearing loss is a critical public health issue affecting two-thirds of Americans over the age of 70. The growing understanding that hearing loss may be linked to the risk of dementia, which affects millions of people, and other adverse effects has drawn attention to the implementation of possible strategies to treat hearing. loss.
For the new study, Huang and his colleagues analyzed a nationally representative dataset from the National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS). Funded by the National Institute on Aging, the NHATS has been running since 2011 and uses a national sample of Medicare beneficiaries over the age of 65, with a focus on the 90-and-older group as well as blacks.
The analysis involved 2,413 people, around half of whom were over 80, and showed a clear association between the severity of hearing loss and dementia. The prevalence of dementia among participants with moderate/severe hearing loss was 61% higher than the prevalence among participants with normal hearing. Hearing aid use was associated with a 32% lower prevalence of dementia among the 853 participants who had moderate/severe hearing loss.
The authors note that many previous studies were limited in that they relied on clinic-based data collection, leaving out vulnerable populations who did not have the means or ability to travel to a clinic. For their study, the researchers collected data from participants through tests and home interviews.
The link between hearing loss and dementia is not yet clear, and studies point to several possible mechanisms. Huang’s research adds to a body of work from the Cochlear Center for Hearing and Public Health examining the relationship between hearing loss and dementia.
The study authors expect to get a more complete picture of the effect of hearing loss treatment on cognition and dementia from their Aging and Cognitive Health Evaluation in Elders (ACHIEVE) study. The results of the three-year randomized trial are expected this year.
“Hearing Loss and Dementia Prevalence Among Older Adults in the United States” was co-authored by Alison Huang, Kening Jiang, Frank Lin, Jennifer Deal, and Nicholas Reed.
Reference: “Hearing Loss and Prevalence of Dementia in Older Adults in the United States” by Alison R. Huang, PhD; Kening Jiang, MHS; Frank R. Lin, MD, PhD; Jennifer A. Deal, PhD and Nicholas S. Reed, AuD, January 10, 2023, JAMA.
DOI: 10.1001/jama.2022.20954
Research support was provided by the National Institute on Aging (K23AG065443, K01AG054693).
Co-author disclosures reported: Nicholas Reed, AuD, serves on the Scientific Advisory Board of Neosensory. Frank Lin, MD, PhD, is a consultant for Frequency Therapeutics and Apple and director of a research center funded in part by a philanthropic gift from Cochlear Ltd at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Lin is also a board member of the nonprofit Access Hears.
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