Dementia risks could be cut in half by using simple tool, new study finds

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Hearing aids have been found to help stave off dementia in people who are at risk of developing the disease.The results of a new trial have found that hearing aids slowed cognitive decline by 48 percent over a three year period for older adults who had risk factors for dementia.As reported by Nottinghamshire Live, treating hearing issues with aids could help prevent the loss of memory and thinking skills in those who are at a higher risk of developing dementia.Previous research has established that hearing loss may be a major factor in developing dementia, but it was not established that hearing aids may lower the risk.

When researchers of the study published in The Lancet looked into an older group at higher risk of dementia, the use of hearing aids was found to have a significant reduction in cognitive decline.The scientists noted that the study highlighted the importance of treating hearing loss in the older generation, as it could potentially reduce the global weight of the condition. "These results provide compelling evidence that treating hearing loss is a powerful tool to protect cognitive function in later life, and possibly, over the long term, delay a dementia diagnosis," said Professor Frank Lin of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Bloomberg School of Public Health."But any cognitive benefits of treating age-related hearing loss are likely to vary depending on an individuals’ risk of cognitive decline."Hearing loss that is linked with age affects two-thirds of those aged over 60 across the world.

However, fewer than three in ten people in high-income countries use hearing aids as a way to battle hearing loss. In low and middle-income countries, that figure drops to less than 10 percent.Not