HEARING LOSS IN ELDERLY POPLULATION INCREASES RISK OF ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE
Take a quick quiz!
- Do you often ask people to repeat themselves?
- Do you complain that people are always mumbling?
- Do you face problem following conversations with more than 2 people?
- Have people complained that you listen to the TV or Radio too loudly?
- Do you have trouble understanding speech in crowded rooms?
If your answer to any of the above questions is YES, then you most probably have age related hearing loss or Senile Deafness also called as Presbycusis.
EVERY 3RD PERSON ABOVE THE AGE OF 60 YEARS SUFFERS FROM AGE-RELATED HEARING LOSS.
Studies show that the brains of the people with hearing loss shrink more quickly than the brains of people with normal hearing. Hearing loss is associated with Alzheimer’s disease & Dementia.
INDIVIDUALS WITH HEARING LOSS ARE 24% MORE LIKELY TO HAVE ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE.
PEOPLE WITH SEVERE HEARING LOSS ARE 5 TIMES MORE LIKELY TO DEVELOP DEMENTIA. The risk increases with the severity of hearing loss.
Persons with untreated hearing loss reduce their social interaction for fear of being ridiculed and getting embarrassed in a crowd or a gathering. They are more likely to experience loneliness, depression and start withdrawing from social life and go into a shell putting them at a greater risk for dementia.
The brain is stimulated by interacting with other people as we hear & listen. The less we stimulate our brain, the less we use our brain to hear, the more quickly our brain functions decline, putting us at a greater risk of Alzheimer’s disease & Dementia.
A SIMPLE, 5 MINUTES HEARING TEST CALLED AUDIOMETRY HELPS US TO DETECT THIS PROBLEM.
HEARING AIDS CAN HELP PREVENT ALZHEIMER’S & DEMENTIA
Age-related hearing loss (sensorineural hearing loss/nerve deafness) is permanent and deteriorates over time. Unfortunately, there is no medical or surgical treatment to rectify or reverse it.
The only option available for such individuals is Digital Hearing Aids which help to selectively amplify the conversational sounds and suppress unwanted sounds.
Recent studies have shown that people wearing hearing aids for senile deafness maintain better brain function over time and are less likely to progress to Alzheimer’s & Dementia than those not wearing hearing aids. Please get Hearing assessment done for your near and dear ones at the earliest. Better late than sorry!!!
Dr. Ajay Doiphode is a Consultant ENT surgeon with more than 20 years of experience. He has graduated from the prestigious KEM Hospital & G.S. Medical College, Mumbai with a Second Rank in Mumbai University Examination. He has undergone training for management of various ENT, Sinus, Head & Neck disorders, under stalwarts like Prof. Dr. M. V. Kirtane (KEM Hospital) and internationally under Prof. Heinz Stammberger for Endoscopic Sinus & Skull Base Surgery in Austria and Prof. Robert Mylinski for Microscopic Ear Surgeries and Implantation Otology (Cochlear Implants, BAHA & Vibrant Sound Bridge).