Do you suffer from Tinnitus? Did you read or hear someone say that Tinnitus is often a precursor to dementia, Alzheimer’s disease or maybe even schizophrenia? Here is a summary of research from the internet.
Is Tinnitus a Precursor to Dementia?
There are no studies that have specifically said that having Tinnitus will lead to dementia, thus making it a precursor. That being said however, having Tinnitus definitely increases the chances of developing cognitive conditions like Dementia, Alzheimer’s Disease (the most common type of dementia), Schizophrenia, Parkinson’s disease and more.
What is Your Tinnitus Handicap Score?
Calculate your THI Score in about 2-3 Minutes
A study using data from the Taiwanese National Health Insurance basis revealed that patients with pre-existing Tinnitus had a 68% increased risk of developing early onset dementia. Early onset dementia is categorized as dementia that affects people of less than 65 years of age. The Taiwanese study involved data of 1,308 patients with Dementia, with an average age of 59.5.
Another study, also from Taiwan, involved 12,657 Tinnitus patients compared against a control group of 25,314 patients without Tinnitus, over a period of 10 years. 3.1% of the patients from the Tinnitus group went on to develop Alzheimer’s or Parkison’s disease while only 2% of the patients from the non-tinnitus control group developed Alzheimer’s disease or Parkinson’s disease.
In other words, patients with Tinnitus were 1.54 times more likely to develop dementia or other mental illnesses. In the USA, it is estimated that about 5.8 Million over the age of 65 suffer from Dementia. The numbers are much smaller for the <65 American population, at 200,000.
How Severe is Your Tinnitus?
Find out by using this THI (Tinnitus Handicap Inventory) Scoring Calculator
How does having Tinnitus increase one’s chances of developing Dementia?
Tinnitus creates what is called a diminished cognitive reserve, a condition that then often becomes a predisposition to developing dementia. While it sounds complicated, diminished cognitive reserve caused by Tinnitus or hearing loss is easily explained below.
The brain’s frontal and temporoparietal cortexes are responsible for speech and language. When they are affected by Tinnitus, especially very intrusive Tinnitus, they begin to fail. This then causes the brain to automatically recruit other areas of the brain to compensate for deficits experienced by areas of the brain responsible for speech and language, thus causing a diminished cognitive reserve. In common sense terms, diminished cognitive reserve is just an overload on the brain, leading to erratic functioning.
People with very intrusive or bothersome Tinnitus also suffer from stress, anxiety and often also from, lack of sleep. Additionally, they are also often victims of social withdrawal. All these setbacks can further affect mental health which can accelerate the onset of dementia and other mental illnesses.
The connection between Tinnitus, Hearing Loss and Dementia
Hearing loss has a much stronger correlation as a precursor to dementia than Tinnitus does. This Harvard paper talks about how people with moderate to hearing loss had a 17% chance of developing Dementia while a population with normal hearing only experienced a 6% incidence rate of developing Dementia.
Where does Tinnitus come into the picture in this connection? 90% of Tinnitus patients also suffer from hearing loss. One could therefore argue, using correlation, that Tinnitus was probably caused by hearing loss which means the individual is at higher risk of Dementia. But please remember that correlation is not always causation.
How to Lower Your Dementia Risk, if You have Tinnitus?
If you have Tinnitus and are worried about also developing Dementia, there are several steps you can take to minimize the risks.
- Evaluate your hearing – As discussed before, Tinnitus patients often also suffer from hearing loss. Hearing loss is a strong precursor to Dementia. Hearing aids can help prevent or at least limit of delay brain damage caused by hearing aids. If your Tinnitus prevents you from interacting with people due to lack of hearing, hearing aids might help there as well. READ – Hearing aids for Tinnitus
- Stress less – Being stressed about having Tinnitus often leads to anxiety and worrying and sleep problems which can then all dramatically and negatively affect both physical mental health. Though easier said than done, Tinnitus habituation must be attempted, where one just comes to terms with Tinnitus that doesn’t go away. READ – Tinnitus, Stress, Anxiety and You
- Exercise – Exercise promotes good cardiovascular health and also boosts happy hormones to promote good mental health.
- Eating Healthy – Eating a healthy diet helps prevent debilitating conditions like diabetes, obesity, strokes and cardiovascular problems, all of which can be precursors to dementia. READ – Tinnitus after eating
- Avoid smoking and alcohol – Quitting smoking and drinking doesn’t just lower your risk of developing dementia, but also gives your Tinnitus a chance to resolve or at least reduce in intensity. This is particularly true if one is a chain smoker or excessive drinker. READ – Alcohol and Tinnitus
- Stay social – Human beings are a social species. Try to socialize as much as possible. Pick up a hobby where you interact with people on a regular basis. This then keeps several parts of the brain healthy and engaged.
- Exercise your brain – Yes, your brain can be exercised! Playing a musical instrument, solving puzzles, reading books or even regularly writing journal entries are all great tasks to consistently exercise your brain, lowering the risk of developing dementia!
