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Hearing Loss and Dementia in the Elderly

By IGI Global on Feb 21, 2011
Hearing loss has long been a feared side effect of aging, but physicians in Maryland, USA have recently discovered a possible link that could make hearing loss an even larger concern. New findings from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study on Aging suggest that there may be a correlation between hearing loss in the elderly and an increased risk of dementia. This study was led by Frank R. Lin, MD, PhD, of the Center on Aging and Health at Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, USA.

The study presents only initial findings, and as such, the team intends to continue their research to determine whether hearing loss is an indication of early dementia or a controllable risk factor. The team notes that a number of mechanisms "may be theoretically implicated in the observed association between hearing loss and incident dementia." They also point out that hearing loss is extremely common in older adults and often not treated. Taking all of these things into consideration, Dr. Lin concludes says that it will be essential to see if these findings can be replicated in similar independent studies ( www.medscape.com/viewarticle/737507).

Dementia continues to be a somewhat mysterious disease for both patients and doctors. New research is needed to improve the detection of dementia and the rehabilitation of patients. IGI Global, an information science and technology publisher, is committed to providing this quality research and is proud to announce the release of one of its newest titles, Early Detection and Rehabilitation Technologies for Dementia: Neuroscience and Biomedical Applications, edited by Jinglong Wu, PhD, Okayama University, Japan.Early Detection and Rehabilitation Technologies for Dementia: Neuroscience and Biomedical Applications


"Dementia is a progressive neurodegenerative disease, of which Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most frequent cause. AD is characterized by the progressive formation of insoluble amyloid plaques and vascular deposits of amyloid beta peptide in the brain," notes Wu. He describes current dementia detection procedures, saying that "until recently, there were no medical tests capable of conclusively diagnosing AD pre-mortem. The mini-mental state examination (MMSE), a brief, 30-point questionnaire, as well as the clinical dementia rating (CDR), a five-point numeric scale, are the standard tests used to help the physician determine whether a person suffering from memory impairments has AD."

This new reference also addresses the rehabilitation of dementia patients. Wu introduces these topics by saying that, "while there is no cure for dementia, advances have been made toward developing medications that can slow down the process. […] Neurological rehabilitation is often used to reduce physical and cognitive impairments and related disabilities. […] The rehabilitation of sensory and cognitive functions typically involves retraining neural pathways or training new neural pathways to regain or improve the neurocognitive functioning that has been diminished by disease or traumatic injury. Speech therapy, occupational therapy, and other methods that "exercise" specific brain functions are used."

As techniques are continually developing for the detection and rehabilitation of this still largely mysterious disease, Wu and the global network of contributors to this book will continue their research and work to improve the quality of life for sufferers of dementia. For more information on this title, please visit www.igi-global.com/Bookstore/TitleDetails.aspx?TitleId=45894.

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