Hearing impairment leads to depression in oldies, Report

Lucknow: According to a research conducted in Columbia University, elderly people with a slight hearing impairment are more prone to depression as compared to normal people.

Studies suggest that hearing loss raises the chances of depression in older people.

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In one such Studies, it was found that people with hearing impairment are twice more likely to develop depression problem as compared to people with normal hearing.

Likewise, people with severe hearing problems had four times the possibility of falling prey to depression.

Explaining the cause, the author of the research Justin S. Golub, an assistant professor at Columbia University told that people with hearing impairment can’t express their feelings. Such people cannot emote themselves in a proper way. They fail to communicate with others, which makes them desolate. This desolation makes them isolated from the society, which further aggravates the chances of depression.

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Almost 80% septuagenarians (people between 70-79 years-old) have hearing loss problems, yet only few are diagnosed. He suggests that proper medical treatment of hearing impairment will curb the chances of depression in elderly people. Hearing loss is easy to diagnose and will reduce depression in later days of life.

Researchers say that age related hearing impairment is one of the most chronic disease in adults which can further lead to Alzheimer and Dementia . Therefore, adults should regularly go for a hearing test to get the hearing problems diagnosed in an early stage before it becomes severe.

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