Hearing Aids help more than just hearing: benefits include better brain health and reduced risk of developing Alzheimer's disease....
Today, there is abundant evidence supporting the cognitive benefits of treating an individual who manifests hearing loss.
Did you know that according to the National Council on Aging, almost a third of people 65 years or older will experience some form of hearing loss, increasing to 50%, in people 75 and older. Although the causes are not always clear cut, hearing deficits typically present between the ages of 55 and 65 and can be tied to chronic exposure to loud noises, ear or head trauma, viral infection, and even certain type of medications.
A recent study including 1000 adults between the ages of 70 and 84, showed that in individuals at increased risk of cognitive decline, using a hearing aid was linked to slowing cognitive decline over the course of almost three years.
By contrast, another study, with more than 3,000 individuals aged 65 or older, who were followed for 25 years, found an increased risk of dementia in people with self-reported hearing loss but who did not use hearing aids.
In essence, hearing loss could be considered as a potentially modifiable risk factor for dementia, like other modifiable risk factors that include high blood pressure, obesity or diabetes mellitus. Some estimates consider that non-treated hearing loss could account for approximately 8% of all cases of dementia worldwide.
Scientifically speaking, recent studies have demonstrated that the risk of dementia is significantly higher, up to 30% higher, when an older adult is also isolated and or manifests depressive symptoms.
Poor hearing does not directly cause cognitive decline, but untreated, it can trigger behavioral responses that may negatively impact cognitive acuity and brain health because people with a hearing deficit tend to isolate themselves socially, and communicate less with others, factors linked to loneliness and depression: factors that potentially accelerate cognitive decline in those already experiencing symptoms.
So, protect your brain function, by caring for your hearing. A small corrective, and simple therapeutic intervention, like a hearing aid, can be the instrumental to the prevention of cognitive decline and, importantly, to reducing the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
For broad information and resources related to Alzheimer’s disease, click here to visit Alzheimer’s Association website.
Domenico Praticò, MD, holds the position of the Scott Richards North Star Charitable Foundation Chair for Alzheimer’s Research and serves as a Professor and the Founding Director at the Alzheimer’s Center at Temple, as well as a Professor of Neural Sciences at Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University.
For more information on the research conducted by Dr. Domenico Pratico, please visit this link.
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Stay updated with the work happening at Dr. Domenico Pratico's lab by visiting the Pratico Lab website.
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