The research team's hearing loss for the elderly affects the development of dementia...public health intervention required
Apr 18, 2025
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In a paper published in the American Medical Association journal JAMA Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, a team led by Professor Jason Smith of Johns Hopkins University's Bloomberg School of Public Health in the U.S. found that one in three cases of dementia were affected by hearing loss.
The research team analyzed the relationship between hearing loss and dementia risk using ARIC-NCS data that followed the long-term relationship between cardiovascular health and brain function (cognitive ability) in the elderly in four U.S. regions (Mississippi, North Carolina, Minnesota, and Maryland). The study, which was followed for up to eight years (2011-2019), involved 2946 elderly people (74.9 years of average age) who did not have dementia at the start and were evaluated for hearing through hearing tests or self-report. 1947 (66.1%) were diagnosed with hearing loss on hearing test and 1097 (37.2%) reported hearing loss on self-report.
It was analyzed that up to 32% of dementia that occurred over eight years was due to hearing loss, especially in the elderly over 75 years old, women, and whites. Self-reported hearing loss was not associated with increased dementia risk. Since self-report is likely to underestimate the risk of hearing-related dementia, it is pointed out that future studies need to evaluate hearing loss and quantify the possibility of preventing dementia risk through objective hearing measurements rather than self-report.
The research team suggested that treating hearing loss in the elderly could delay dementia in many elderly people, suggesting that treating hearing loss in the elderly through public health interventions can have a wide range of dementia prevention effects.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
