Does Hearing Rehabilitation Mitigate the Association Between Hearing Loss and Cognitive Impairment?

AbstractPurpose of ReviewDementia is a highly prevalent and potentially devastating disease that has garnered considerable attention from public health researchers as a target for public policy. Given the multifactorial nature of its development and the lack of effective medical therapies, a common public health strategy for addressing this disease is to focus on its modifiable risk factors. Hearing loss is one such risk factor. The purpose of this review is to examine the role of hearing rehabilitation in modifying the association between hearing loss and cognitive impairment.Recent FindingsVarious studies have been conducted to analyze how hearing aid use may impact the relationship between hearing loss and cognitive impairment/dementia, including cross-sectional and retrospective cohort  studies, prospective cohort studies, and randomized controlled trials (RCTs).SummaryThis review discusses the role of hearing loss as a modifiable risk factor for cognitive impairment/dementia, proposed causal mechanisms between hearing loss and cognitive impairment, and studies at multiple levels of evidence examining the role of hearing rehabilitation in mitigating the association between hearing loss and cognitive impairment. Although more randomized controlled trials of hearing aid use are required to clarify whether hearing aid use attenuates cognitive impairment, the authors recommend consideration of hearing aid use as one measure to potentially lower the risk of cognitive impairme...
Source: Current Otorhinolaryngology Reports - Category: ENT & OMF Source Type: research