Increased risk of dementia with a sudden hearing loss
A Korean study has investigated the prevalence and risk of subsequent dementia in people with sudden hearing loss during a 7-year follow-up period and compared it with the prevalence in a control group.
In the study, the dementia incidence rate per 1,000 “person-years” was 20.45 for people with a sudden hearing loss and 8.15 for people in the control group without a sudden hearing loss.
Risk ratios
When adjusted for other characteristics, the study found that the people with a sudden hearing loss had a 1.69 increased risk of dementia during the follow-up period.
Males with sudden hearing loss had an even higher risk of dementia than the male control group with a 2.11 increased risk of dementia.
Hearing loss and dementia
Earlier studies have shown that hearing loss in general is associated with cognitive decline and dementia.
About the study
The study included a total of 11,148 people, including 1,858 with a sudden hearing loss and 9,290 in the control group. Data was taken from The Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2000 (LHID2000) in Taiwan.
The study, "Increase Risk of Dementia in Patients With Sudden Hearing Loss: A Population-Based Cohort Study With 7-Year Follow-Up in Taiwan", was published in the journal Otology & Neurotology.
Source: The journal Otology & Neurotology