Hearing Aids Postpone Dementia for Seniors

Is your doctor testing you for hearing ability post-stroke?

Hearing Aids Postpone Dementia for Seniors

1. Hélène Amieva PhD^*,
2. Camille Ouvrard MSc,
3. Caroline Giulioli MSc,
4. Céline Meillon MSc,
5. Laetitia Rullier PhD and
6. Jean-François Dartigues MD, PhD

Article first published online: 20 OCT 2015

DOI: 10.1111/jgs.13649

© 2015, Copyright the Authors Journal compilation © 2015, The American Geriatrics Society

Issue

Journal of the American Geriatrics Society

Volume 63, Issue 10, pages 2099–2104, October 2015

Additional Information(Show All)

How to CiteAuthor InformationPublication HistoryFunding Information

SEARCH

Search Scope

Search String

• Advanced >
• Saved Searches >

ARTICLE TOOLS

• Get PDF (86K)
• Save to My Profile
• E-mail Link to this Article
• Export Citation for this Article
• Get Citation Alerts
• Request Permissions

More Sharing ServicesShare|Share on citeulikeShare on facebookShare on deliciousShare on www.mendeley.comShare on twitter

• Abstract
• Article
• References
• Cited By

View Full Article (HTML) Enhanced Article (HTML) Get PDF (86K)

Keywords:

• hearing loss;
• hearing aids;
• cognitive decline;
• elderly

Objectives

To investigate the association between hearing loss, hearing aid use, and cognitive decline.

Design

Prospective population-based study.

Setting

Data gathered from the Personnes Agées QUID study, a cohort study begun in 1989–90.

Participants

Individuals aged 65 and older (N = 3,670).

Measurements

At baseline, hearing loss was determined using a questionnaire assessing self-perceived hearing loss; 137 subjects reported major hearing loss, 1,139 reported moderate problems (difficulty following the conversation when several persons talk at the same time or in a noisy background), and 2,394 reported no hearing trouble. Cognitive decline was measured using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), administered at follow-up visits over 25 years.

Results

Self-reported hearing loss was significantly associated with lower baseline MMSE score (β = −0.69, P < .001) and greater decline during the 25-year follow-up period (β = −0.04, P = .01) independent of age, sex, and education. A difference in the rate of change in MMSE score over the 25-year follow-up was observed between participants with hearing loss not using hearing aids and controls (β = −0.06, P < .001). In contrast, subjects with hearing loss using a hearing aid had no difference in cognitive decline (β = 0.07, P = .08) from controls.

Conclusion

Self-reported hearing loss is associated with accelerated cognitive decline in older adults; hearing aid use attenuates such decline.