Dementia: Study Finds Surprising Risk Factor -- Did You Know About This?

A study conducted by Professor Helene Amieva in France revealed an unexpected association between hearing loss and the risk of dementia in adults, reports the Express . Researchers tracked 3,777 participants older than 65 for up to 25 years, of whom 1,289 reported hearing problems and 2,290 reported no trouble. The dementia risk increased among those with hearing loss, along with an increased risk of depression in men. Participants using hearing aids did not have such an elevated risk. "Although this type of study cannot tell us whether using hearing aids would help to bring the risk of dementia back down, it does hint that this might be the case — a finding that should be followed up with high priority," said Alzheimer's Society Research Manager Clare Walton. "With the numbers of people developing dementia set to reach one million by 2021, it's vital to explore all the links between dementia and other health conditions so we can look for new ways to delay or even prevent the condition."