Is hearing loss an Alzheimer’s warning sign? Research shows new risk factors

(NEXSTAR) – The number of people living with Alzheimer’s disease is expected to double by 2060. New research is shedding light on warning signs and risk factors that could signal cognitive decline ahead.

One clear risk factor, the research shows, is hearing loss.

“We know from a lot of public health studies that hearing loss changes the brain, and we have also seen in studies that hearing loss is consistently linked to a higher risk of dementia over time,” said Jennifer Deal, an associate professor of epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, in a recent media briefing on Alzheimer’s.

It’s not just about volume, Deal said, but rather about hearing clarity.

“So you can hear someone speaking, but the words kind of blur together,” she explained. “So, the word sphere, S-P-H-E-R-E, for example, may sound like the word ear, E-A-R.”

It’s not clear exactly how hearing loss and........

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