Memory Loss or Hearing Loss?

Research suggests that older adults with a mild or moderate hearing loss may display symptoms of cognitive delay and memory loss simply because they are expending so much energy trying to hear spoken language. It is now believed that a link exists between hearing loss and the development of dementia, and that dementia could well be over-diagnosed in those who are actually suffering from hearing loss alone. Over a longer period of time however, if hearing loss is left untreated, the affects on cognition may become permanent.

Evidence from Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions reveals that the risk of developing dementia increases when a person’s hearing thresholds exceed 25 dB HL (a mild hearing loss). They determined that hearing loss also heightened the risk of developing Alzheimer’s Disease; every 10 dB increase in hearing loss added an extra 20 per cent risk to the patient. It is proposed that hearing loss may be causally related to dementia because of the resultant social isolation, cognitive strain and/or deterioration of nerve pathways. It is therefore hypothesised that addressing hearing loss early (through the use of hearing aids) and optimising environmental conditions may play a preventative role in the development of cognitive symptoms for some elderly patients. Because many of the symptoms of hearing loss and memory loss are similar (depression, anxiety, denial, reduced language comprehension), a full diagnostic hearing test should be a component of the differential diagnosis for memory loss.

ScienceDaily, September 1st, 2005 – Brandeis Study:

ScienceDaily, February 15th, 2011 – Hearing Loss Associated with the Development of Dementia