Hearing Aids May Reduce Risk of Dementia by Half: Study

Washington, 18 Jul (ONA) --- Hearing aids could cut risk by half for people facing a greater threat of cognitive decline, according to a new study.

Cognitive decline is a reduction in abilities that can range from mild impairment to dementia, with dementia being considered a big problem across the globe.

Over the past decade, research has established that hearing loss is one of the biggest risk factors for developing dementia, but it wasn’t clear whether intervening with hearing aids would reduce the risk, he added.

In this study, the researchers looked at more than 3,000 people from two populations: healthy community volunteers and older adults from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study, a longstanding observational study of cardiovascular health.

In the total group, hearing aids did not appear to reduce cognitive decline, the study said, but when researchers looked at just the older group that was at higher risk, they found a significant reduction in cognitive decline, Lin said.

---Ends/Thuraiya/AG