New Research on Hearing Loss & Dementia

Contributed by: Stephani Gonzales, SDSU Audiology

As reported in Audiology Today, November 2011


Johns Hopkins University—National Institute on Aging has found that seniors with hearing loss are significantly more likely to develop dementia over time than those who retain their hearing (Lin, 2011).  This research documents that the greater the degree of hearing loss, the greater the risk. Compared with volunteers with normal hearing, those with mild (25–40 dB), moderate (41–70 dB), and severe (>70 dB) hearing loss had, respectively, a twofold, threefold, and fivefold risk of developing dementia over time.  Specifically, the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease also increased with diminishing hearing, with the authors noting that for every 10 dB decrement in hearing, the extra risk increased by 20 percent.