The Hearing Aids may reduce cognitive problems in older people who are at higher risk of dementia, according to research, the results of which are published in the journal The Lancet and presented in Alzheimer’s Association International Conference.

Two different study populations were included in the research USAa group at higher risk of cognitive decline and a group of healthy volunteers, all aged 70-84 years old. In total they participated almost 1,000 people.

When the two groups were combined as one population no difference in cognitive decline was found over three years between the group that used hearing aids and those that did not.

However, when specifically examined the group that was at greater risk of cognitive decline was observed 48% less cognitive change over three years in the group that used hearing aids compared to those that did not.

The findings add to growing evidence that addressing hearing loss may be an extremely important global public health target for efforts dementia prevention.

However, as Professor Frank Lin from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the Bloomberg School of Public Health notes, “any cognitive benefits from treating age-related hearing loss are likely to vary with the individual’s risk of cognitive decline ».

Age-related hearing loss is exceptional frequent affecting two-thirds of adults over 60 worldwide, but fewer than one in ten people with hearing loss in low- and middle-income countries and fewer than three in ten in high-income countries currently use hearing aids.

Untreated hearing loss is estimated to contribute to 8% of dementia cases worldwide, a percentage corresponding to approx 800,000 of the nearly ten million new dementia diagnoses each year.