Untreated hearing loss tied to cognitive decline
Most seniors take fewer meds
LONDON, Oct 20, (RTRS): While age-related hearing loss has long been linked to cognitive decline, a UK study suggests hearing aids may help minimize the risk of problems like impaired memory or executive function.
Researchers examined data on 7,385 adults 50 and older without a diagnosis of dementia or other conditions tied to cognitive problems and without hearing implants or ear infections. Overall, about 41 percent had mild hearing loss, 10 per cent had severe hearing loss, and 11 per cent used a hearing aid.
People with mild to moderate hearing loss did score lower on memory assessments than individuals with perfect hearing, the study found. But this was only true for people who didn’t use hearing aids.
“Not correcting for hearing loss results in social isolation which in turn results in us not utilizing many of our neural networks in the brain on a regular basis,” said study coauthor Gurleen Popli of the University of Sheffield, in an email. “This could possibly explain the cognitive decline.”
People in the study who used hearing aids, however, were very different from individuals who didn’t use these devices, the researchers report in JAMA Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery.
Hearing aid users tended to have moderate to severe hearing loss rather than just mild hearing loss. They also tended to be older, to live alone, and to have high blood pressure – all independent risk factors for cognitive decline.
Trouble
About one in three adults ages 65 to 74 have hearing loss, and almost half of people older than 75 have trouble hearing, according to the US National Institutes of Health.
Age-related hearing loss can lead to a wide variety of health problems, as it touches on many aspects of daily life, making it harder for people to keep up with conversations, maintain a normal social life and follow a doctor’s advice about medical problems.
Previous studies have indicated that age-related hearing loss may be a risk factor for dementia. However, results from individual studies have been inconsistent, possibly due to differences in methods such as the type of hearing assessment used.
It’s also not clear how age-related hearing loss and cognitive decline are related, and the study wasn’t a controlled experiment designed to answer this question.
“Age-related hearing loss may represent a modifiable condition and a possible target for secondary prevention of cognitive impairment in older age, social isolation, latelife depression, and frailty,” Panza, who wasn’t involved in the study, said by email.
Most elderly patients taking multiple prescription medications would be willing to reduce their daily pill regimen to minimize their risk of side effects like falls or dangerous drug interactions, a US study suggests.
Nine out of ten people 65 and older are willing to stop taking one or more medications if their doctor recommends this, the study found. And two-thirds of older adults would like to cut back on the total number of medicines they take.
Isolation
Approximately half of adults 65 and older are taking five or more medications, researchers note in JAMA Internal Medicine. While this is necessary in some circumstances, drugs that are safe and effective in isolation can become dangerous in certain combinations and contribute to side effects like dizziness, cognitive impairment, falls, hospitalizations and deaths.
“Over time the potential benefits and harms can change,” said lead study author Emily Reeve of the University of Sydney in Australia.
“So it’s important to regularly review the medications that older adults are taking and consider whether they are all still necessary,” Reeve said by email.
Compared to people who took fewer than six medications, those taking more were almost three times more likely to express a willingness to stop taking one or more drugs.
People with more chronic medical problems were more likely to want to stop taking at least one drug than individuals with fewer health issues, the study also found.
The study wasn’t a controlled experiment designed to prove whether or how this willingness might translate into people actually stopping any of their routine medications, and it also wasn’t designed to examine how stopping might impact people’s health.
Still, the results suggest that at least some patients may be missing out on opportunities to cut back on medications they shouldn’t be taking, said Dr David Gifford of the American Health Care Association in Washington, DC.