Early tackling hearing loss and making an attempt to maintain social relationships can slow down the development of dementia later has found promising new research.
Studies have long suggested that about four in ten cases of the memory-robbing state can be prevented.
Tackling loss of vision, treating depression and doing sufficient exercise are all ways to reduce the risk.
Now Swiss scientists, who have followed more than 30,000 adults, have unveiled a significant relationship between hearing loss, loneliness and memory decrease.
Writing in the diary Communication psychologyScientists from the University of Geneva said: ‘Tackling hearing disorders alongside loneliness – even with socially integrated individuals – can be crucial for promoting cognitive health in later life.
“With an increasing lifespan, understanding the relationship between hearing disorders and cognitive functioning is of the utmost importance for aging associations.”
In the studyThe researchers analyzed 33,741 adults aged 50 and older who participated in research into health, aging and pension in Europe (share).
For a period of 17 years they discovered that older adults who said they felt lonely – even if they were not socially isolated – the steeper cognitive decline if their hearing deteriorated compared to socially integrated persons.
Researchers studied more than 33,000 adults aged 50 and older and discovered that those who felt lonely experienced the fastest cognitive decline regardless of the actual social isolation
Participants who were both isolated And Lonely consistently performed worse in all cognitive tasks, including immediate and delayed recall and verbal fluency.
According to the researchers, this can be because memory processes such as retrieving information are used more by people who regularly communicate with others.
Moreover, researchers discovered that lonely individuals found hearing loss more painful than their non-thus peers, which emphasized the psychological burden of the condition that could contribute to memory loss.
The researchers concluded that their findings support the theory that both objective and subjective social isolation are relevant to the risk of dementia.
“Our design has revealed an important role for loneliness in shaping the extent to which sensory decline is linked to cognition,” the researchers added.
However, the researchers acknowledged that causality could not be derived.
They added: ‘Our findings indicate that both hearing disorders and psychosocial factors such as loneliness and social isolation can be relevant to cognitive functioning in later life.
“This underlines the importance of a holistic approach that combines auditory health with psychosocial support to maintain cognitive health in later life.”
In response to studies such as these, experts from Alzheimer’s Research UK are now calling on the government to take on a hearing check in the NHS Health Check for more than 40s.
Dr. Isolde Radford, of the charity, said: ‘We do not yet know whether hearing loss causes dementia immediately or whether it causes other disorders that in turn raise our risk.
‘What we do know is that hearing loss, such as dementia, is not an inevitable part of aging.
“This simple step can help millions to identify hearing loss and take appropriate measures, such as wearing hearing aids, which can help reduce their risk of dementia.”
It comes when a milestone study also suggested last year that almost half of all cases of Alzheimer’s could be prevented by tackling 14 lifestyle factors.
To reduce the risk of dementia during life, the Commission has also made 13 recommendations for both people and governments.
These include making hearing aids available for anyone who needs it, reducing harmful exposure to noise and increased detection and treatment access for high cholesterol under 40s.
Experts claimed that the study, published in medical magazine The Lancet, delivered more hope than ‘ever before’ that the memory spread that can prevent the lives of millions can be prevented.
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia and affects 982,000 people in the UK.
It is thought that it is caused by an accumulation of amyloid and tau in the brain, which clump together and plaques and tangles that make it harder for the brain to work well.
Ultimately, the brain struggles to cope with this damage and develop the symptoms of dementia.
Memory problems, thinking and reasoning problems and language problems are common early symptoms of the condition, which then worsen over time.
Alzheimer UK analysis of Alzheimer’s UK research showed that 74,261 people died of dementia in 2022 compared to 69.178 a year earlier, making it the biggest murderer in the country.
#Scientists #determine #important #factors #increase #dementia #risks #frightening #avoid