We all know someone who shrugs off their hearing loss as just another inevitability of older age. But really, according to the latest research, alarm bells should be ringing.
Astonishingly, hearing loss in mid-life raises the risk of dementia later on by up to 40 per cent, according to some studies. That makes it the leading preventable cause of dementia, experts say.
The Lancet Commission found that a deterioration in hearing between the ages of 45 and 64 should be treated immediately, and that simply wearing a hearing aid could significantly reduce the risk of developing the devastating condition in the first place.
In fact its findings have revealed that if all hearing loss was promptly treated, nearly one in ten dementia cases could be wiped out.
Astonishingly, hearing loss in mid-life raises the risk of dementia later on by up to 40 per cent, making it the leading preventable cause of dementia, according to some studies
Professor Gill Livingston, who led the Lancet Commission’s review, says: ‘Suddenly we have an enormous opportunity to prevent disease. A lot of research now shows people who correct their hearing loss early have the same risk of dementia as the rest of the population. We once thought that hearing loss was simply an early symptom of dementia. Now we know it may well contribute to its development.
‘We’re starting to see early signs that preventing it, or slowing it down, could be as straightforward as wearing a hearing aid when hearing loss starts.’
Scientists are still trying to work out precisely how hearing loss affects the brain and contributes to dementia. Some argue it is a sign of general ‘neurological frailty’ and that hearing loss could be an early symptom of the disease itself.
But increasing evidence points toward hearing loss coming first and that it directly contributes to the development of dementia.
One reason for the link is that hearing loss makes sufferers more likely to avoid social interaction, which is in itself a risk factor for dementia because it reduces the amount of brain stimulation a person gets. Isolation can, in turn, lead to depression – another known association with the disease, particularly if it affects people in later life. Conversely, the more social contact an individual has over the age of 50, the less likely they are to develop dementia.
Prof Livingston says: ‘The easiest way to be cognitively stimulated is to be able to hear. It is very challenging to be part of a conversation where you have to respond and notice different people in the group. That really makes a difference to being able to socialise