Free tool
Hearing Loss & Dementia Risk Calculator
Estimate how untreated hearing loss changes your relative dementia risk.
The Lancet Commission on Dementia Prevention identifies hearing loss as the single largest modifiable risk factor in midlife, contributing roughly 7% of population-attributable risk. This calculator translates a few personal factors into a relative-risk band.
Your age
years
Frequently asked
Do hearing aids actually reduce dementia risk?
The ACHIEVE randomized trial (JAMA, 2023) found that in adults at higher baseline risk, hearing-aid use slowed three-year cognitive decline by roughly half compared with a health-education control. Evidence is strongest for adults 70+ with cardiovascular risk factors.
How does hearing loss cause cognitive decline?
Three mechanisms are proposed: increased cognitive load (the brain works harder to decode degraded sound), social withdrawal, and reduced auditory input driving brain-structural changes. Treating the hearing loss addresses all three simultaneously.
Is this calculator a medical diagnosis?
No. It is a lay-audience translation of population-level Lancet Commission data. Only a physician can assess personal dementia risk using imaging, cognitive testing, and biomarkers.