Hearing or vision loss is often part of aging, but a new study suggests that lose function in both directions (it has to be both, not just one) would increase the risk of suffering from dementia and cognitive decline after a few years.
Both directions simultaneously
The study examined 6,520 people between the ages of 58 and 101. Visual and hearing impairment was determined using a questionnaire that asked about the use of glasses or hearing aids.
At the beginning of the study, 932 people had normal vision and hearing, 2,957 had visual or hearing impairments, and 2,631 said they had both impairments.
Dementia was more than twice as common in the group with both impairments at the start of the study. In that group, 201 people out of 2,631, or 8%, had dementia at the start of the study, compared to 2.4% with a sensory disability and 2.3% without a sensory disability.
Researchers tested people's thinking and memory skills every two years for six years using a test that includes word recall and recognition. They then looked at the relationship between having a hearing or visual impairment and dementia and having both impairments and dementia.
After adjusting for factors such as sex, education and income, the researchers found that the hearing and vision impaired group was twice as likely to develop dementia than the group with normal sensory function.
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The news
Dementia and cognitive decline could be closer if you lose hearing and vision, according to new study
was originally published in
Xataka Science
by
Sergio Parra
.