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42/100

✓ Peer-reviewed alzhub usefulness score 42 out of 100. Prevention and risk

Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies

Plain-language summary

Hearing loss in midlife is an important and potentially modifiable risk factor for the development of dementia. Research examining the association between dementia and hearing loss has expanded rapidly; however, evidence for the mechanisms linking the two conditions is inconclusive, limiting the development of targeted interventions. This review provides a critical overview of current evidence on dementia risk in relation to hearing loss, proposed mechanisms underpinning this association, and emerging evidence on the effectiveness of hearing interventions in modifying trajectories of cognitive decline, dementia risk, and disease progression. Alongside its role as a risk factor, hearing loss commonly co-occurs with dementia, highlighting the need for integrated approaches to care that address the considerable impact of these co-morbid conditions on individuals and communities. Finally, we emphasise the importance of including diverse populations in future research to improve generalisability of findings and help advance equity in dementia prevention and care.

Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris

APA 7th

Broome, E. E., Calvert, S., Heffernan, E., Henshaw, H., Khan, A., Pelekanos, V., et al. (2026). Dementia and hearing loss: from risk to mechanisms and management. Frontiers in Dementia. https://doi.org/10.3389/frdem.2026.1736003

Vancouver

Broome EE, Calvert S, Heffernan E, Henshaw H, Khan A, Pelekanos V, et al. Dementia and hearing loss: from risk to mechanisms and management. Frontiers in Dementia. 2026. doi:10.3389/frdem.2026.1736003. PMID: 41783253.

BibTeX

@article{broome2026-41783253,
  author  = {Broome, Emma Elizabeth and Calvert, Sian and Heffernan, Eithne and Henshaw, Helen and Khan, A and Pelekanos, Vassilis and Sollini, Joseph and Stancel-Lewis, Jack and others},
  title   = {{Dementia and hearing loss: from risk to mechanisms and management}},
  journal = {Frontiers in Dementia},
  year    = {2026},
  doi     = {10.3389/frdem.2026.1736003},
  pmid    = {41783253},
  url     = {https://doi.org/10.3389/frdem.2026.1736003}
}

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How to read this study

Design: our record does not state a study design, so check the methods section of the original before weighing the result.
Size: the record gives no participant count. Look for one in the original before trusting a pattern.
Effect: the record gives no effect size, so the summary above cannot say how large any difference was.

What the evidence grade means here

This page is graded low. alzhub.org assigns the grade automatically from keywords in the abstract, not from reading the paper. Low means the abstract matched neither pattern. It is the default label, and it does not mean the work is poor; many sound lab and imaging papers land here. It can add at most 5 of the 100 points in the study score, and it is a label about design, not a verdict on whether the findings are true.

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Key findings

Hearing loss in midlife is an important and potentially modifiable risk factor for the development of dementia.
Research examining the association between dementia and hearing loss has expanded rapidly; however, evidence for the mechanisms linking the two conditions is inconclusive, limiting the development of targeted interventions.
This review provides a critical overview of current evidence on dementia risk in relation to hearing loss, proposed mechanisms underpinning this association, and emerging evidence on the effectiveness of hearing interventions in modifying trajectories of cognitive decline, dementia risk, and disease progression.
Alongside its role as a risk factor, hearing loss commonly co-occurs with dementia, highlighting the need for integrated approaches to care that address the considerable impact of these co-morbid conditions on individuals and communities.
Finally, we emphasise the importance of including diverse populations in future research to improve generalisability of findings and help advance equity in dementia prevention and care.

Why it matters

This review states that hearing loss in midlife is an important and potentially modifiable risk factor for dementia, but that evidence for the mechanisms linking the two is inconclusive. It notes emerging but not yet settled evidence on whether hearing interventions change cognitive decline or dementia risk.

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Study details

Evidence strengthLow

How this study scored 42/100

Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomized / blinded because the record does not state it.

Component	Points	Why
Journal tier	7 / 10	Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Frontiers in Dementia)
Journal's citation record	0 / 4	Frontiers in Dementia: journal h-index 13 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29)
Study design	0 / 12	No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0)
Strength of evidence	1 / 5	Rated “low” in our summary
Peer-review validation	10 / 10	Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal.
How recent	5 / 5	2026 — within 1 year(s) of the newest study here
Sample size	0 / 4	Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0)
Effect reported	0 / 3	No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0)
Studied in people	0 / 3	Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0)
Randomized / blinded	0 / 2	No randomization or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0)
Times cited	2 / 7	Cited 5 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10)
Citations per year	1 / 5	2.5 citations a year over 2 year(s) since 2026
Impact for its field and year	5 / 6	Cited 22.1× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI)
Cited by studies here	0 / 6	No other study in this library cites it
Still being cited	1 / 4	Cited 5 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex)
Senior author's track record	3 / 4	Last-listed author Tom Dening: h-index 52 (OpenAlex, whole career)
Institution's track record	1 / 3	University of Nottingham: institution h-index 879 (OpenAlex)
Multicenter collaboration	2 / 3	OpenAlex lists 5 institution(s) in 2 countries
Indexed in PubMed	2 / 2	Indexed in PubMed (PMID 41783253)
Free to read	2 / 2	Free to read
Total	42 / 100	—

What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →

Read the original

Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).

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