Will I get dementia?

Scientific understanding of dementia is continuing to evolve. Since 2017 The Lancet Commission on dementia prevention has added five new risk factors, taking the number of modifiable risk factors for developing dementia in later life to 14. There’s a full list at https://www.thelancet.com/infographics-do/dementia-risk.

Researchers calculate that these factors account for almost half of all dementia cases around the world. Current research indicates that while hearing loss does not directly cause dementia, a growing body of evidence suggests a correlation between unmanaged hearing loss and cognitive decline. Smoking, obesity, excessive alcohol consumption and diabetes are just some of the other modifiable risk factors. There are also many studies confirming that untreated hearing loss can exacerbate cognitive decline in people who are already at risk of developing dementia.

When you know what the risk factors are, you’re empowered to consider making changes, like using hearing aids, that may positively impact your future health.

There is an extensive and ever-growing body of research from multiple countries in Europe, Asia, South America and the USA that demonstrates the importance of acknowledging the links between untreated hearing loss and dementia.

We get our eyes checked, so we should also get our ears checked.  

If you have not booked a hearing assessment then please do get in touch.

Here is a summary of some of the research:

2025

• Myrstad et. al (2025) reported hearing impairment is associated with dementia. The authors used the Norwegian population-based longitudinal cohort study (The Trøndelag Health Study or HUNT). At baseline, they invited all residents 20+ years for an audiometric hearing assessment, and at 20+ years follow-up. The authors cognitively assessed all persons 70+ years including the MoCA adjusted for hearing impairment. The authors included 6,879 people (mean 56.1 years) and reported a long-term association between hearing impairment and dose related reduced cognitive performance, particularly in those aged <85 years (for every 10 dB of increased hearing loss, MOCA scores worsened.)
• Jang, Lee, et al (2025) reported 511,953 subjects from the Korean National Health Insurance Service-Senior Cohort (2002-2008). The authors report subjects with hearing loss had a 1.245 times higher risk of all-cause dementia compared to those without hearing loss (adjusted hazard ratio over 3 years, 95% CI = 1.201-1.290), adjusting for gender, age, residence, and income. They concluded hearing loss consistently increased the risk of all-cause dementia and Alzheimer’s disease across timespans, suggesting a complex link between hearing loss and neurodegenerative diseases. These findings highlight the importance of early intervention and cognitive monitoring for individuals with hearing loss.

2024

• Yu, Proctor, et al (2024) summarised the cohort evidence to date on adult-onset hearing loss as a risk factor for incident cognitive impairment and dementia, and examined the evidence for dose-response, the risk for various dementia subtypes, and other moderators. They identified 50 studies of 1.5 million people. They report each 10-decibel worsening of hearing was associated with a 16% increase in dementia risk. They concluded cohort studies consistently support that adult-onset hearing loss increases the risk of incident cognitive decline, dementia, MCI, and ADD.
• Wei et al (2024) reported using target trial emulation to leverage an existing longitudinal cohort study to estimate the association between hearing aids initiation and risk of dementia. Participants were 50+ years with self-reported hearing loss and without dementia at baseline, and without use of hearing aids in the previous 2 years. Among 2314 participants (328 in the intervention group and 1,986 in the control group; average age: 72.3 ± 9.7 years) after 8 years of follow-up, the risk of dementia was significantly lower among individuals who initiated hearing aid use. The authors report hearing aid use was associated with a significant reduction of incident dementia.
• Sarant et. al. (2024) reported a 3-year study of 160 audiology clinic patients (49% female patient; mean age 73.5 years) with mild-to-severe hearing loss, fitted with hearing aids at baseline and 102 participant controls. Hearing aid users demonstrated significantly better cognitive performance as measured up to 3 years post-fitting, suggesting that hearing intervention may delay cognitive decline/dementia onset in older adults.

2023

• Conceição et al (2023) reported on 19,551 individuals. Their systematic review showed the existence of a significant relationship between hearing loss and cognitive decline in the elderly.
• The ACHIEVE study (Lin et al, 2023), as noted on www.achievestudy.org, showed that in older adults at increased risk for cognitive decline, hearing intervention slowed down loss of thinking and memory abilities by 48% over 3 years.
• Yeo et al (2023) queried whether hearing aids and cochlear implants decrease the risk of subsequent cognitive decline in individuals with hearing loss. In their meta-analysis involving 137,484 participants, they stated “the use of hearing restorative devices was associated with a 19% decrease in hazards of long-term cognitive decline such as incident dementia over a duration ranging from 2 to 25 years. The use of hearing aids and cochlear implants is associated with a decreased risk of subsequent cognitive decline and physicians should strongly encourage their patients with hearing loss to adopt such devices.”

2021

• Stevenson et al (2021) reported on 82,039 dementia-free participants aged 60+ years to investigate whether speech-in-noise (SiN) hearing impairment is associated with an increased risk of incident dementia. After 11 years, they noted insufficient and poor SiN was associated with a 61% increased risk of developing dementia.

OLDER

• Moore et al (2014) reported that for middle-aged people, a poor speech-in-noise (SIN) score may represent an early warning of the need for intervention.
• Amieva et al (2015) reported 3,670 people followed for 25 years and concluded “Self-reported hearing loss is associated with accelerated cognitive decline in older adults; hearing aid use attenuates such decline.”

We take a fully tailored approach to supporting you. We’ll listen to your experiences and work with you to find the best technology and management plan for you.  Above all, we’ll help you to adapt to your new technology at your pace. Call or email us today.