Globally, 46 million people live with dementia, and the most common type of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease. There are many physical manifestations of the condition, but the most common is dementia that affects cognitive ability. Worldwide, dementia cases cost $818 billion in treatment a year.
Studies have discovered a correlation between cognitive loss and untreated hearing loss in the United States and Europe, and Asia. This month is World Alzheimer’s Month, and having your hearing checked could help you prevent Alzheimer’s disease. Conversely, delaying a hearing test could increase your risk.
What is Alzheimer’s disease?
Dementia is an umbrella term for a decline in mental capacity, which is severe enough to interfere with your everyday life. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia worldwide, accounting for about 60-80 percent of all dementia cases internationally.
With Alzheimer’s disease, an accumulation of amyloid plaque and twisted protein bundles impedes the brain’s ability to interact and function appropriately with neurons. Alzheimer’s disease is chronic, which means it gets worse with time.
Since Alzheimer’s disease usually starts in the hippocampus or the brain’s memory center, early signs of Alzheimer’s include difficulties in recalling information. This may include identifying essential people or places from the past, or difficulty in remembering information that has been learned recently. Brain tissue becomes even more seriously damaged in the late stages. The person affected can no longer communicate with their surroundings, have interactions, or take care of basic daily living needs.
The risk groups for Alzheimer’s disease
Alzheimer’s disease is common, affecting about 10 percent of the U.S. population over 65. A person develops dementia every minute in the United States and every 3 seconds globally.
Age is still the number one risk factor for Alzheimer’s progression, but early-onset Alzheimer’s affects about 200,000 Americans aged 30-65. It is predicted that the number of people over the age of 65 living with Alzheimer’s will grow to 7.1 million by 2025, a whopping 29 percent increase from today’s 5.5 million.
The connection between hearing loss and cognitive decline
Three possible reasons may explain why untreated hearing loss leads to an increased risk of cognitive impairment and dementia.
Cognitive load: The act of listening can be a difficult task for someone with hearing loss. As the brain remains busy trying to decipher speech and keep up with the conversation, fewer resources are available for other functions like memory recall.
Brain atrophy: Another hypothesis suggests that hearing damage in the brain’s sound processing center may lead to faster brain atrophy rates. This could trigger early cognitive impairment, a precursor to the development of Alzheimer’s disease.
Social isolation: If you had trouble hearing in noisy environments and found it awkward to talk, what would you do? Studies show that many people are withdrawing from social settings, diminishing social engagement, another risk factor for dementia.
Hearing treatment may reduce the risk.
Although most hearing loss is irreversible, some treatments help to regain your quality of life. Using hearing aids adequately fitted by a hearing professional could recover much of the hearing loss, but no hearing treatment can completely restore your hearing.
It has been shown that the use of hearing aids to treat hearing loss decreases the cognitive burden caused by hearing loss. That means treating hearing loss will mitigate some of the factors that link hearing loss to Alzheimer’s disease. Your hearing is an integral part of your physical wellbeing, and taking care of your hearing makes your brain functions in a much healthier way.
But the benefits of hearing treatment are more pronounced the earlier you do it. That’s why it is essential to get a hearing test. The sooner you notice and treat your hearing loss, the sooner you will start having a better life again. A survey of hearing aid users showed that 71 percent of users believe they should have gotten their hearing aids earlier because, among other things, having a hearing aid enhanced their social life, mental and emotional health, and job performance.
If you are looking for assistance with your hearing problems, we will help you find the right hearing solution. This World Alzheimer’s Month, contact us today to set up a hearing test.
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