Hearing aids could delay dementia by five years, study suggests
Hearing aids may delay dementia onset in people with auditory problems
Hearing aids can stave off dementia in hard of hearing patients for five years, a study has suggested.
A third of over-50s who wore a hearing aid had not developed symptoms five years after they were diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), researchers found. In contrast, 81 per cent of those who did not wear hearing aids did develop symptoms.
This is the first study to investigate the link between hearing aids and progression to dementia in individuals with MCI – those with memory difficulties but not defined as having dementia.
Some people diagnosed with MCI will go on to develop dementia, some will remain stable over time and a few people will improve and no longer have any problems. Scientists say the findings are an “important first step” in supporting a move to encourage people with hearing loss who are at risk of dementia to wear hearing aids.
The researchers looked at 2,114 hearing-impaired patients over the age of 50 from the National Alzheimer’s Co- ordinating Centre.
The percentage of participants who had not developed dementia five years after the baseline MCI diagnosis was 19% for non-users of hearing aids and 33% for those using hearing aids.
Dr Magda Bucholc, of Ulster University, said that while it might be considered a “modest finding”, the overall benefits to public health could be significant.
“The use of hearing aids was associated with a two-year slower conversion to dementia,” she said.
“Some may say this constitutes a modest finding overall; however, in my opinion, given there is no disease-modifying treatment for dementia, even a small beneficial effect of hearing loss treatment in delaying the disease can have significant implications for public health. “In fact, studies show that delaying the onset of dementia by even two years would have substantial economic and societal effects.”
The research was published in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Translational Research and Clinical Interventions. Dr Ralph Holme, executive director of research at the national hearing loss charity RNID, said: “It is well established that hearing loss is associated with an increased risk of dementia, and this new research supports the growing view that the use of hearing aids may help slow its onset.
“Further research is needed to definitively show this, but clearly taking early action to address your hearing loss can only be a good thing. RNID is helping to fund vital research to understand why hearing loss and dementia are linked.”