INDUSTRY INSIGHT
BETTER HEARING
SPONSORED CONTENT
Protect Yourself
From Dementia
By Improving
Your Hearing
F
rom decreased mobility and reduced income to social withdrawal
and cognitive decline, hearing loss is proven to have the ability to
negatively affect your physical, mental and financial health. Research
continues to link untreated hearing impairment to a growing number of
problems including dementia, which better hearing health could help
prevent.
More than 47 million people across the globe are living with dementia,
according to the World Health Organization, with cases expected to
more than triple by 2050. The syndrome, most commonly manifested as
Alzheimer’s disease, has a wide range of causes and symptoms, creating
challenges not only for dementia sufferers but for their loved ones. Amid
increasing reports pointing to connections between hearing loss and
cognitive decline, researchers in yet another study have found greater
prevalence of dementia among people with hearing impairment than
those without it.
HEALTHY HEARING
HEALTHY BRAIN
HEALTHY LIFE
Improvements * With Hearing Loss Treatment
48%
36%
saw mental
saw quality of
life improve
health improve
40%
56%
saw relations with
loved ones improve
saw relations at
home improve
*Of hearing aid wearers in a study sponsored by the National Council on Aging
Call today to schedule
a consultation!
412.254.8934
Forest Hills
2400 Ardmore Blvd, Ste 401
Dr. Suzanne Yoder, Au.D.
Owner & Doctor of Audiology
HearWellCenter.com
12
724.942.0940 TO ADVERTISE
❘
icmags.com
In a University of Utah longitudinal cohort study of more than 4,400
older adults, otolaryngologist and professor Dr. Richard Gurgel and his team
found that subjects with hearing loss developed dementia at a higher rate
than their normal-hearing counterparts. The study, published in 2014, also
suggested the following:
• People with hearing loss can experience earlier onset of cognitive decline.
• People with hearing loss can experience greater severity of cognitive
decline.
• Hearing loss may be a marker for cognitive decline among people 65
and older.
Johns Hopkins and National Institute on Aging researchers, for example,
sought to discover whether hearing loss might be one of the mechanisms
responsible for dementia. In a prospective study of 639 people ages 36 to
90, the risk of “incident dementia” — defined as dementia that develops over
the course of the study — for those with hearing loss was clearly established
during a follow-up period that lasted nearly 12 years.
Researchers found:
• Those with mild hearing loss were nearly twice as likely to develop
dementia.
• Those with moderate hearing loss were three times as likely to develop
dementia.
• Those with severe hearing loss were nearly five times as likely to develop
dementia.
These linear increases indicate that hearing loss plays a role in the
development of dementia and is independently associated with cases of
incident dementia.
The association remained the same after adjusting for other factors
known to be associated with hearing loss, including diabetes and smoking.
In general, participants with more impactful hearing loss were more likely to
be older, to be male, and to have high blood pressure.
It’s currently unclear exactly how hearing loss contributes to development
of dementia — cause and effect are inconclusive — but research supports
early hearing-care intervention for reduced risk of cognitive decline and
better overall health.
Sources:
World Health Organization. 10 Facts on Dementia. http://www.who.int/features/factfiles/dementia/en/
Accessed June 1, 2016.
Gurgel RK et al. Relationship of Hearing Loss and Dementia: A Prospective, Population-Based Study.
Otology & Neurotology: official publication of the American Otological Society, American Neurotology
Society [and] European Academy of Otology and Neurotology 35.5 (2014): 775–781. Accessed June 1,
2016, at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4024067/.
Lin F et al. Hearing Loss and Incident Dementia. Arch Neurol. 2011;68(2):214-220. doi:10.1001/
archneurol.2010.362. Accessed June 1, 2016, at http://archneur.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=802291
This Industry Insight was written by Dr. Suzanne Yoder, Au.D. HearWell Center
412.254.8934; [email protected], www.hearwellcenter.com.
About HearWell Center — HearWell Center is a full-service, independently
owned audiology practice proud to be bringing better hearing
to the people of Pittsburgh since 2007. HearWell Center,
located in Forest Hills, is a hearing care practice that has
helped over 1,000 patients with their hearing, tinnitus, and
balance disorders — and offers state-of-the-art diagnostic
testing and expert fitting of hearing technology.