Hearing loss and the risk of dementia

Age-related hearing loss and dementia

Age-related hearing loss is a common condition affecting older people. It often starts with problems hearing what other people say, especially in noisy environments. Symptoms can start gradually and be difficult to notice. This makes early detection and treatment difficult.

There are two types of hearing loss: peripheral hearing loss and central hearing loss.

• Peripheral hearing loss is the reduced abilities of the ears to detect sounds. This does increase a person’s risk of developing dementia.
• Central hearing loss involves problems with processing sounds in the brain, that are not able to be corrected with hearing aids. This may be a very early symptom of Alzheimer’s disease, as sound processing parts of the brain are affected by the disease.

Protect your hearing to reduce dementia risk

You may be able to book a free hearing test at your local optician or speak to your GP about being referred to an audiologist (a doctor for hearing). This will show up any hearing issues and provide ways of managing them, such as using a hearing aid.

Studies have shown that people who use hearing aids to manage their hearing loss are less likely to develop dementia. Hearing aid use was also associated with fewer memory problems and thinking problems independent of dementia. Tracking hearing aid use over a long period showed that it was associated with less decline in memory skills.

Often, managing hearing loss works best when you start doing it early on. This means protecting your hearing from a young age. For example, you can avoid listening to loud noises for long periods and wear ear protection when necessary.

The link between hearing loss and dementia risk

Research shows that if a person’s hearing loss is related to an increased risk of developing dementia. The amount of hearing loss and length of time someone has hearing loss also impacts dementia risk.

People with hearing problems may also be more likely to withdraw from social situations and become more isolated over time. Social isolation and depression are both risk factors for dementia.

Hearing loss may also mean that the areas of the brain that help us understand sounds and speech have to work harder to understand what sounds are. This additional effort may lead to changes in the brain that affects our memory and thinking abilities.

The link between hearing loss and dementia is not fully explained, but it does not mean that someone with hearing loss will go on to develop dementia – just that their risk is higher.

It is possible that hearing loss is a risk factor for dementia, or an early symptom, or both, but it is very difficult to determine on an individual basis.