A doctor who specializes in geriatric medicine comments on research showing how hearing devices can be helpful in preventing long-term cognitive decline.
Cleveland Clinic News Service | 216.444.0141
We’re available to shoot custom interviews & b-roll for media outlets upon request.
CCNS health and medical content is consumer-friendly, professional broadcast quality (available in HD), and available to media outlets each day.
images: 0
video: 3
audio: 2
text: 2
Content is property of Cleveland Clinic and for news media use only.
CLEVELAND – A large-scale study has found that wearing hearing aids may be helpful in preventing cognitive decline and dementia.
In fact, the results showed participants who used them had a 19% decrease in their risks for long-term cognitive decline.
“So this looked at over 130,000 patients in different trials across the country and found an attributable correlation of almost 20 percent for cognitive decline and that’s the most robust data we’ve ever had,” said Kenneth Koncilja, MD, geriatric medicine specialist for Cleveland Clinic.
Dr. Koncilja, who was not directly involved in the study, said it’s been known that hearing loss can impact an older individual’s cognition.
However, this study now shows there could be a chance to help prevent that – with the use of hearing devices.
Researchers also discovered during the study that hearing devices were significantly associated with a 3% improvement in cognitive scores that assessed general cognition in the short term.
So, what does all this mean for the general public?
Dr. Koncilja said the findings highlight the importance of addressing hearing loss sooner than later.
“Formal hearing tests are covered by Medicare and should be part of the work-up for patients who are worried about memory changes and want to be proactive to combat cognitive decline before it sets in,” he said.
The FDA also recently authorized the sale of over-the-counter hearing aids, making the devices more affordable and accessible.
