Early intervention to treat hearing impairment can reduce the risk of dementia

A new study, published in the journal “Jama Neurology”, revealed that early intervention to treat hearing impairment, with earphones, can be an effective preventative method against dementia in later phases, especially if the treatment begins before the age of seventy. During the study, researchers conducted hearing tests of nearly three thousand volunteers who are no less than 60 years old. Participants were spotted in the famous Framingham Heart Study Project, which is one of the most important longitudinal studies in the field of public health. Hearing impairment and dementia have undergone normative hearing tests, and they were classified into three groups: they have hearing weakness and did not use headphones, injure and use headphones, and others do not suffer from hearing loss. The researchers said that in the next 20 years of these tests they decreased the risk of dementia by 61% among those who used hearing support devices in the early stages, after being diagnosed with hearing impairment before the age of seventy, compared to those who did not use these devices. According to the same study, it appears that the use of hearing improvement apparatus “did not provide protection against dementia with those who were diagnosed with a hearing problem after the age of seventy”, which emphasizes the importance of the timing in therapeutic intervention. The use of hearing support devices indicated that only 17% of individuals used to moderate to the extreme hearing from hearing support devices. The results also showed that those who did not suffer from hearing loss were about 29%close to dementia. The researchers said: “Our study emphasizes the importance of early intervention” to reduce the risk of dementia associated with hearing loss. The researchers believe that these results increase the increasing evidence that indicates that hearing impairment is not just a simple cognitive problem, but rather a major risk factor for dementia that can be mitigated by early treatment. Biological interpretation and the study provide a possible biological interpretation of this link; As hearing impairment imposes an extra burden on the brain to understand sounds, and increases the possibilities of social isolation, which in turn accelerates the decline of cognitive abilities. Despite the strength of the study in terms of the size of the sample and the long succession, the researchers referred to some restrictions, such as relying on the report of the self -part equipment to use the headphones without specifying a period, or regularity of use, in addition to the absence of full control of social and economic factors. Early exam programs, although the percentage of headphones between those who have a medium to severe audience, are no more than 17%, the new results are a strong incentive to expand early examination programs and audience intervention, especially with the global increase in the numbers of the elderly. The authors of the study conclude that “early diagnosis and hearing intervention before the seventy can be one of the most effective and simple measures to reduce the growing burden of dementia for societies around the world.”