32 Percent of Dementia Attributed to Audiometric Hearing Loss

MONDAY, April 28, 2025 (HealthDay News) -- The population attributable fraction of dementia from any audiometric hearing loss is 32.0 percent, according to a study published online April 17 in JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery.Emily Ishak, from the Columbia University Irving Medical Center in New York City, and colleagues conducted a prospective cohort study as part of the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Neurocognitive Study (ARIC-NCS) with up to eight years of follow-up to calculate the population attributable fraction of incident dementia associated with hearing loss in older adults. The analysis included community-dwelling adults aged 66 to 90 years without dementia at baseline who underwent a hearing assessment at ARIC-NCS visit 6 (2016 to 2017).Of 2,946 participants, 66.1 percent had audiometric hearing loss and 37.2 percent had self-reported hearing loss. The researchers found that the population attributable fraction of dementia was 32.0 percent from any audiometric hearing loss. Similar population attributable fractions were seen by hearing loss severity (16.2 and 16.6 percent for mild hearing loss and moderate or greater hearing loss, respectively). There was no association for self-reported hearing loss with an increased risk for dementia. Those who were 75 years or older, female, and White (30.5, 30.8, and 27.8 percent, respectively) had larger population attributable fractions from audiometric hearing loss relative to those who were younger than 75 years, male, and Black."Interventions for sensory health in late life might be associated with a broad benefit for cognitive health," the authors write. "Future studies should prioritize objective measures of hearing over subjective measures to quantify its preventative potential on dementia risk."Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required).Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter