Just one health problem increases the risk of dementia fivefold

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Currently, 50 million people worldwide suffer from dementia, and this number is expected to triple by 2050. This rapid increase forces experts to focus on early signs of the disease and its prevention.

According to a recent study by Dr. Frank Lin of the Johns Hopkins Medical Center, hearing loss can increase the risk of dementia. Lin followed 639 adults over nearly 12 years.

His team found that mild hearing loss doubled the risk of dementia, moderate hearing loss tripled the risk, and severe hearing loss increased the chance of developing dementia fivefold. times.

Although researchers have long known a positive correlation between hearing loss and dementia, they are only now beginning to understand the causal relationship between the two conditions.

One meta-analysis that looked at 17 studies on the relationship between hearing loss and dementia have suggested three possible reasons why hearing loss contributes to an increased risk of dementia.

“Hearing loss increases cognitive load. As a result, brain resources are redirected to improve sound processing, which takes resources away from other cognitive processes,” the authors of the meta-analysis write.

Scientists suggest that two more factors may be social isolation or an underlying medical problem. hearing loss.