{"id":6673,"date":"2020-08-12T17:37:09","date_gmt":"2020-08-12T21:37:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thehearinginstitute.org\/?p=6673"},"modified":"2021-04-22T19:38:13","modified_gmt":"2021-04-22T23:38:13","slug":"hearing-and-vision-loss-linked-with-increased-risk-of-dementia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thehearinginstitute.org\/hearing-and-vision-loss-linked-with-increased-risk-of-dementia\/","title":{"rendered":"Hearing and Vision Loss Linked with Increased Risk of Dementia"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Past research has found that vision impairment and untreated hearing loss are associated with a higher risk of developing dementia. New research sought to dive further into these connections, exploring the effects of combined vision and hearing problems \u2013 referred to as dual sensory impairment (DSI).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About the Study<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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The study, called \u201cDual sensory impairment in older adults and risk of dementia from the GEM Study<\/u><\/a>\u201d was published in Alzheimer\u2019s & Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment & Disease Monitoring<\/em> last month. It was conducted by researchers in the Department of Epidemiology at the University of Washington in Seattle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In order to investigate the impact of DSI on cognition, researchers analyzed data previously collected by the Gingko Evaluation of Memory (GEM) study. The data included self-reported information about the patients\u2019 hearing and vision abilities as well as follow-up examinations assessing dementia risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What sets this study apart is that it looks at the combined effects of DSI, not just of hearing or vision impairment on their own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAlthough most prior studies have focused on impairments in hearing and vision individually, the impact of having combined hearing and visual impairment, or dual sensory impairment (DSI), on dementia risk is unclear,\u201d explained the authors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What the Data Shows<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

According to researchers, 33 percent of people over age 70 experience hearing loss, and 18 percent experience vision loss. They believe that since both conditions worsen with age, there is a correlation between their advancement and the loss of a person\u2019s functionality and mortality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, there are two theories about the connection between these sensory impairments and dementia: First, that vision and hearing loss result from similar physical processes that cause dementia. Second, that vision and hearing loss lead to social isolation, depression and physical inactivity \u2013 all of which contribute to dementia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The authors found that, of the 2,051 participants\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n