SCIENTISTS PINPOINT LIFESTYLE CHANGE THAT COULD DELAY DEMENTIA
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Tackling hearing loss early could delay the development of dementia for a number of years, promising research suggested today.
Studies have long suggested that around four in ten cases of the memory-robbing condition could be preventable.
Addressing vision loss, treating depression and doing plenty of exercise are all ways of reducing the risk.
Now US scientists, who tracked almost 3,000 elderly adults with hearing loss, found almost a third of all dementia cases could be attributed to the issue.
Experts said the findings provided further evidence of the link between hearing loss and dementia and urged health leaders to prioritise hearing tests for adults at risk.
Writing in the journal JAMA Otolaryngology, scientists at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland said: 'This suggests that treating hearing loss might delay dementia for a large number of older adults.
'Public health interventions targeting clinically tested hearing loss might have broad benefits for dementia prevention.'
In the study, the scientists tracked 2,946 adults aged 75 on average.
Over a follow-up of eight years, they discovered 32 per cent of all dementia cases could be attributed to diagnosed hearing loss.
Self-reported hearing loss was not associated with any increased dementia risk.
The risk of developing the condition stood at 16.2 per cent among those with mild hearing loss and 16.6 per cent for those with moderate or great.
The likelihood of developing dementia was also slightly higher in women (30.8 per cent) than in men (24 per cent), the scientists also said.
A greater proportion of cases attributed to hearing loss occurred in those over the age of 75.
Responding to the findings, Dr Isolde Radford at Alzheimer's Research UK, who wasn't involved in the study, said: 'There's strong evidence linking hearing loss in mid to later life with an increased risk of dementia.
'We don't yet know if hearing loss directly causes dementia or whether it causes other conditions that, in turn increase our risk.
'But this study adds to the link between hearing loss and dementia, and offers further evidence of the value of investigating hearing loss interventions as a potential measure to protect brain health.
She added: 'What we do know is that hearing loss, like dementia, isn't an inevitable part of ageing.
'That's why we're calling on the government to include a hearing check in the NHS Health Check for over-40s.
'This simple step could help millions identify hearing loss earlier and take appropriate action, such as wearing hearing aids, that may help reduce their risk of dementia.'
It comes as a landmark study last year also suggested almost half of all Alzheimer's cases could be prevented by tackling 14 lifestyle factors.
To reduce dementia risk throughout life, the commission also made 13 recommendations for both people and governments.
These include making hearing aids available for all those who need it, reducing harmful noise exposure, and increased detection and treatment access for high cholesterol among the over-40s.
Experts claimed the study, published in the prestigious journal The Lancet, provided more hope than 'ever before' that the memory-robbing disorder that blights the lives of millions can be prevented.
Alzheimer's Disease is the most common form of dementia and affects 982,000 people in the UK.
It is thought to be caused by a build-up of amyloid and tau in the brain, which clump together and from plaques and tangles that make it harder for the brain to work properly.
Eventually, the brain struggles to cope with this damage and dementia symptoms develop.
Memory problems, thinking and reasoning difficulties and language problems are common early symptoms of the condition, which then worsen over time.
Alzheimer's Research UK analysis found 74,261 people died from dementia in 2022 compared with 69,178 a year earlier, making it the country's biggest killer.
Read more 2025-04-17T15:24:21Z