New sign of dementia in “older” people named

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Hearing loss may be a sign of dementia in the elderly. A new study has found that older people with more severe hearing loss are more likely to suffer from dementia. Interestingly, the likelihood of developing dementia was lower among hearing aid users compared to those who did not use them.

The results, which were based on a sample of more than 2,400 older adults, are consistent with previous studies showing that hearing loss may be a contributing factor to the risk of dementia over time, and that treating hearing loss may reduce the risk of dementia.

The prevalence of dementia among study participants with moderate/severe hearing loss was 61% higher than among participants with normal hearing. However, hearing aid use was associated with a 32% reduction in the prevalence of dementia among the 853 participants with moderate/severe hearing loss.