Link Between Hearing Health and Dementia
Many people have the preconception that dementia is an inevitable part of the ageing process, and while it is common (one in ten Australian over 65 have dementia), it is not necessarily inevitable as there are simple life style choices that can help minimise your risk.
What is dementia?
Dementia is an umbrella term that describes a collection of symptoms caused by disorders affecting the brain. Dementia is not a specific disease as there are many disease states that cause dementia. Alzheimer's disease is the most common (up to 70% of dementia cases) followed by, Vascular dementia, Dementia with Lewy bodies, Fronto Temporal Lobar Degeneration (FTLD), Huntington's disease, Alcohol related dementia (Korsakoff's syndrome) and Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease.
Dementia patients brain function is affected in ways that interfere with social and working life. Dementia patients thinking, behaviour and the ability to perform everyday tasks becomes limited to the extent that full time care is required.
Who gets dementia?
While it is more common in the older population, it is important to understand that not all older people get dementia, because there are genetic and life style factors that have a significant influence. Dementia is not a normal part of life, but it can happen to anyone at any age.
Dementia is a significant issue because of the social and economic cost to society. In 2017 dementia cost the Australian economy over fourteen billion dollars and is projected to increase to over a trillion in the next forty years. Thus, it is important for yourself, family and Australia in general to do all we can to mitigate potential adverse factors that increase dementia risk.
Dementia risk reduction.
Studies show that to reduce your risk of developing dementia simple positive life style choices that lead to a healthy heart are of benefit. For example, increasing your physical activity to the nationally recommended 30 minutes a day for adults and maintaining a healthy Mediterranean-style diet, rich in omega 3, and poly/ monounsaturated fats – (found in olive oil and fresh fish) are beneficial for dementia risk reduction. Limiting the intake of saturated and trans fats, which are often found in take away and sweets, can also lower the dementia risk. However, there are other risk factors and an important one is Hearing Loss.
Scientific studies have found that a person’s chances for mental decline seem to go up the worse their hearing problems are. In one study, mild, moderate, and severe hearing loss made the odds of dementia 2, 3, and 5 times higher over the following 10-plus years. Cognitive decline also seems to happen 30%-40% faster in individuals with a hearing loss.
While current research does not fully explain how the two conditions are linked, according to Frank Lin, MD PHD, of Johns Hopkins University, a combination of three factors seem to be involved:
Research has shown a link between feeling lonely or isolated and dementia. People with a hearing loss are prone to social isolation because it is hard to join in conversations or be social with others when you can’t hear.
With a hearing loss your Auditory Cortex must work harder to process the limited sound information. Consequently, limiting resources that it could use for other important activities resulting in mental fatigue. It is known that mental fatigue can make it harder for your brain to fully recover during sleep.
As your ears are no longer able to be stimulated by many sounds, your hearing nerves will send fewer signals to your brain. As a result, the billions of synaptic pathways in the brain begin to degenerate.
The big question is whether hearing aids can help prevent this cognitive decline, and at present there is insufficient evidence to make that claim. However, what the science is clear on, is that a healthy lifestyle and hearing loss prevention strategies will go a long way towards helping to reduce one’s risk of Dementia. Thus, the next time an employee or anyone you know is recalcitrant in wearing hearing protection, you can draw their attention to the very real risk of increasing their chances of early onset dementia.