A study with 805 Brazilians in their 50s confirmed that those with hearing loss had increased risk of cognitive decline. The results, published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Diseasepoint to the need to expand hearing health care as a form of dementia prevention.
“Hearing loss is what we call the risk factor modifiable for dementia, including Alzheimer’s, precisely because it is likely to identify and correction. In 2050, it is expected that more than 70% of people with dementia live in low and medium -income countries, such as Brazil. Therefore, it is important to have studies that identify our reality and the factors that can be prevention. In addition to individual weight, there is also a collective load. Other low and medium-income countries aging dementia, ”said Claudia Suemoto, a professor at the University of São Paulo School of Medicine (FM-USP) and author of the study.
THE investigation It was conducted within the Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (Elsa-Brasil), which monitors data from 15,000 civil servants from six universities and research centers in the country since 2008. The initiative has funded by the Ministry of Health and the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), linked to the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI).
Audiological evaluation and its comparison with the cognition data raised by the Elsa-Brasil had the support FAPESP.
Mechanisms
Hearing loss usually begins in mid-aged and is a recognized risk factor for dementia. According to Suemoto, this occurs through two mechanisms. The first is that hearing is an important way of entry of information to the brain.
“It depends on entrance roads to, along with the knowledge already acquired, deliver an answer. However, when a road is interrupted, important areas are no longer stimulated and can accelerate the cognitive decline,” he explains.
The second mechanism is behavioral: hearing loss tends to lead to social isolation. “Almost everyone knows someone older, whether a friend or relative, who does not listen well. To talk to this person you have to talk louder, repeat the sentences and it ends up being excluded from conversations. In a way, it is so difficult for her to hear that she herself excludes, loses her interest and walks away. Therefore, there is also the mechanism of social isolation, which is another risk factor for dementia,” he says.
In the study, participants conducted audiometry tests, an objective measure of hearing quality, three times over the eight years of investigation. In the same period, memory, language and executive function were performed, which measured the association between hearing loss and sharp cognitive decline.
Of the 805 participants, 62 (7.7%) had hearing loss. These had a global cognitive decline faster than expected for age after an eight -year follow -up. In addition, specific cognitive domain tests showed similar but less accurate declines in memory, verbal fluency and executive function.
“This shows that it is important to perform the audiometry test, because it usually takes time until the person is aware of the hearing deficit itself. He starts to hear badly, but does not realize and adapts to the new condition. But knowing that there is loss is possible to correct it with the use of appliances. And it is also necessary to remove the stimulus that is causing the problem,” he warns.
According to the researcher, the main stimuli of hearing loss in middle age are labor. “There are several types of works that involve a lot of noise. These people have to use protective equipment to reduce the auditory deficit. There are also the problem of using very high volume headphones. All of this harms, so it is important to diagnose the problem,” he adds.
In addition to hearing loss, says the researcher, there are 11 other modifiable risk factors for dementia: low education, hypertension, brain injury, diabetes, obesity, alcoholism, smoking, depression, physical inactivity, atmospheric pollution and social isolation.
This content was originally published in middle age hearing loss can accelerate cognitive decline on CNN Brazil.
Source: CNN Brasil
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