According to a Hearing Aid Study Has the Potential to Reduce the Risk of Dementia

Bumisuka.com – According to a Hearing Aid Study Has the Potential to Reduce the Risk of Dementia.Hearing loss and dementia are some of the common conditions that occur in old age. Apparently, various studies reveal that hearing loss is related and can increase the risk of dementia.

While dementia can’t be tricked when it occurs, hearing loss can. The good news, a recent study found that hearing aids not only help hearing, but also reduce the risk of dementia in the elderly. Let’s see the full facts!

Involve hundreds of thousands of participants

While many studies have linked hearing loss to cognitive decline, it’s still not clear whether hearing aids are beneficial. Published in JAMA Neurology in December 2022, Singaporean researchers wanted to find out.

As of July 2021, Singapore researchers selected 3,243 studies. Of these, 31 studies were selected and involved 137,484 adult participants with a minimum age of 18 years. A total of 19 studies were also screened for quantitative review.

The researchers examined cognitive scores and longitudinal data to find out the long-term association of hearing aids with cognitive decline, especially dementia. Involving the results of clinical trials and other observational studies, this research by Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine National University of Singapore produces more reliable statistical data.

Results: Hearing aids lower dementia risk by 19 percent

The researchers also conducted a meta-analysis of 8 studies with 126,903 participants. The research period in these studies lasted from 2 to 25 years. As a result, wearing hearing aids reduces the risk of cognitive decline by up to 19 percent.

In addition, the researchers also conducted a meta-analysis of 11 studies with a total of 568 participants that examined the relationship between hearing aids and cognitive test scores. As a result, hearing aids increase short-term cognitive test scores by 3 percent.

Why can hearing aids help patients prevent dementia?

The researchers didn’t explain why hearing aids might prevent cognitive decline. According to them, this study dispels the hypothesis that cognitive decline and hearing loss are caused by age-related neurodegenerative processes.

Hearing loss drains cognitive power and affects memory. In addition, the reduced sense of hearing can cause reduced brain volume and affect cognitive abilities. Therefore, Singaporean researchers emphasize the importance of using hearing aids.

The researchers explained that the hearing loss caused the patient to isolate himself. Various studies have also linked social isolation behavior with dementia. With hearing aids, a person can remain active in society so they don’t feel isolated and cognitively affected.

The strengths and weaknesses of the research

Singapore researchers claim this quantitative study is the first to examine the relationship between hearing aids and cognitive maintenance. This research contains many studies from many countries and involves a large number of participants.

Even so, the researchers acknowledged that this study did not record the severity of the hearing loss suffered by the participants. This can affect the benefits of hearing aids. In addition, this study does not show the cognitive sectors assisted by hearing aids.

That’s Singapore’s research on hearing aids that can reduce the risk of dementia from 3 to 19 percent. While we need to find out more deeply, this study can be proof that paying attention to the condition of our senses, in this case hearing, can maintain cognitive condition in old age and prevent dementia.