Dementia: Can You Decrease the Risk?

A new study suggests that a number of factors,
including mid-life hearing loss, could contribute
to some types of dementia.

There are no guarantees against dementia, but a major international study just published in the esteemed journal Lancet, reports it is possible that one in three cases of dementia could be prevented if more people looked at their brain health throughout life.

According to the researchers, there are life style factors that may make the brain more vulnerable to problems with memory and thinking as we age. Dementia is diagnosed later in life, but changes in the brain begin to develop many years earlier.

Here are 9 factors that contribute to the risk of some types of dementia:

• mid-life hearing loss (9%)
• failing to complete secondary education (8%)
• smoking (5%)
• failing to seek treatment for depression (4%)
• physical inactivity (3%)
• social isolation (2%)
• high blood pressure (2%)
• obesity (1%)
• Type 2 diabetes (1%)

While I have been aware of each of these, I was surprised by the degree (9%!) to which hearing loss factored in. There is much that is still unknown about just how hearing loss is connected to cognitive decline. Maybe hearing loss adds to the cognitive burden of a vulnerable brain, or leads to social disengagement or depression, or is related to systemic age-related microvascular changes.

It's also not proven for sure if use of hearing aids eliminates hearing loss as a risk factor. However, it is likely that if amplification fosters social connection and reduces the effort needed to listen, that addressing hearing loss proactively is a big plus. (And, it makes life better, for sure!)

The take home message is the number of people with dementia is increasing globally, although it is decreasing in some countries. Quoting the Lancet: "Be ambitious about prevention. We recommend active treatment of hypertension in middle age and older people without dementia to reduce dementia incidence. Interventions for other risk factors including more childhood education, exercise, maintaining social engagement, reducing smoking, and management of hearing loss, depression, diabetes and obesity might have the potential to delay or prevent a third of dementia cases."

It is a hopeful message: although we cannot totally control our future, there are modifiable risk factors that make an enormous difference, and these addressing them proactively are good for overall health, making good choices a win-win situation.

Surprising News about the Link Between Dementia and Hearing Loss

Has hearing loss slowly crept up on you? Many people think of aging-related hearing loss as a minor annoyance, not a serious health issue. But there is evidence that hearing loss could be directly related to the onset of dementia, according to a joint study in 2011 by Johns Hopkins University and the National Institute on Aging. 

Researchers aren’t sure why there’s a connection between hearing loss and dementia. One theory is that the social isolation experienced by people with hearing loss makes them more vulnerable to cognitive problems like dementia. Another possibility is that the onset of dementia is related to the cumulative stress of trying to make sense of garbled sounds. Scientists say that when you’re extremely focused on translating random sounds into an understandable sentence, there’s no brain power left for other functions. The technical term for this struggle is “cognitive load.” 

Meanwhile, it’s clear that proactively guarding your hearing health provides multiple benefits. Good hearing health – and cognitive health —starts with a simple hearing check. If you’ve noticed any difference in your hearing, or if others have pointed out that you may have a hearing problem, experts say that you should make an appointment with an audiologist to assess the situation. And if you already use hearing aids but feel that you may be missing some parts of conversations, it’s a good idea to have your hearing aids reprogrammed or replaced by a specialist.

Did you know that these problems can be caused by hearing loss?

• Isolation and loneliness
• Relationship difficulties
• Fatigue
• Memory and attention lapses
• Depression and anxiety

If your quality of life has diminished because of hearing loss, consider contacting a hearing professional. Your personal hearing solution may be simpler than you think.