Simultaneous hearing and visual impairment may be linked to double dementia risk, study claims

April 9, 2021  09:48

Reducing vision or hearing alone does not increase the risk of developing dementia. However, simultaneous impairment of hearing and vision is much more dangerous and may indicate a doubled risk of developing dementia, according to a study published in the journal Neurology.

Scientists in South Korea observed 6,250 volunteers aged 58 to 101 for six years. At the start of the study, participants answered questions about how they rate their vision and hearing. They underwent a cognitive test every two years.

At the beginning of the study, dementia was detected in 7.6% of people with a simultaneous decrease in hearing and vision, after six years - in another 7.4% of people from this group. Meanwhile, hearing and visual impairment were separately associated with the development of dementia in 2.9% and 2.4% of cases, respectively, during the observation period.

The calculations of scientists have shown that the simultaneous damage to vision and hearing is associated with an increase in the risk of developing dementia by 2 times compared with the indicators of other people. Decreases in vision alone or hearing alone in this study were not associated with an increased risk of dementia.

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