Hearing loss affects 5 million Americans and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is estimated to affect approximately 48 million people in the U.S. AD comprises around 60 to 80 percent of all dementia, making it the most common cause of dementia. Other types of dementia include vascular dementia, Lewy body dementia, and more.
Research
Recent clinical studies suggest that a very high percentage of dementia risk is attributed to hearing loss. In fact, some studies found that mild hearing loss doubles the risk of dementia. As hearing loss worsens the risk of dementia continues to rise. How do hearing loss and dementia negatively impact one another?
A recent study released by Johns Hopkins and the National Institute on Aging revealed that “although the brain becomes smaller with age, the shrinkage seems to be fast-tracked in older adults with hearing loss.” “The findings add to a growing list of health consequences associated with hearing loss, including increased risk of dementia, falls, hospitalizations, and diminished physical and mental health overall.”
The study conclusions were overwhelmingly in favor of the association between hearing loss and dementia. Study findings support statistics of dementia risk being around a third related to hearing loss for people over age 60.
The Hearing Loss/Dementia Connection
The association between hearing loss and dementia is suspected to be related to brain activity in the temporal cortex, occipital cortex, posterior parietal cortex and the brain stem. These areas of the brain all impact how well our hearing works. They are also in close proximity to the area of the brain where Alzheimer’s disease initially causes impairment.
Alzheimer’s disease and hearing loss have other characteristics in common as well. They are both associated with feelings of depression and anxiety, and they may both encompass a level of denial. A person with AD oftentimes feels isolated, has trouble communicating effectively, responds poorly to social cues, and scores lower on mental functioning tests. These are all signs and symptoms of hearing loss as well.
Signs and Symptoms of Hearing Loss
- Muffling of speech and other sounds
- Difficulty understanding words (overlaps with AD dementia)
- Trouble hearing against background noise or in a crowd of people
- Trouble hearing consonants
- Frequently asking others to repeat themselves or to speak loudly
- Turning up the volume frequently of the television or radio
- Withdrawal from conversations (overlaps with AD dementia)
- Avoidance of some social settings (overlaps with AD dementia)
If your loved one with AD has exhibited any of the signs of hearing loss, it is imperative to seek out medical advice and schedule testing right away. It is far too common for symptoms of hearing loss may be mistaken for symptoms of AD dementia, while dementia oftentimes masks the symptoms of hearing loss, therefore testing is vital to be sure. Early intervention for hearing loss (such as the use of hearing aids) has been known to help sort out the overlapping symptoms of dementia and hearing loss while helping to delay the natural progression of hearing loss over time.
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