Men with hearing loss may have up to a 54-percent higher risk for cognitive decline as they age, according to a study published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia.
Researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital conducted an eight-year longitudinal study of 10,107 men (age 62 and older) who reported their hearing status in 2006 and had no cognitive concerns in 2008. The researchers assessed participants’ subjective cognitive function status with a six-item questionnaire administered in 2008, 2012 and 2016.
When compared with normal-hearing peers, the relative risk of cognitive decline in men who did not use hearing aids was 30 percent higher for those with mild hearing loss, 42 percent higher for those with moderate hearing loss, and 54 percent higher for those with severe hearing loss. Among hearing-aid users with severe hearing loss, the risk of cognitive decline was 37 percent higher than the comparison group.
The study authors hope to expand their research to other demographic groups. “We plan to conduct further longitudinal studies of the relation of hearing loss and cognition in women and in younger populations,” says lead author Sharon Curhan, physician and epidemiologist in the Channing Division for Network Medicine at Brigham.