Does Tinnitus Cause Dementia? |
Dementia is one of the great fears of aging, especially as rates continue to climb in many countries. So when headlines suggest that tinnitus—a condition affecting nearly one in five adults—may be linked to dementia, people predictably become anxious. I often meet patients more concerned about the fear of cognitive decline than of the ringing itself. In many cases, this fear alone makes their tinnitus worse.
But what the headlines suggest and what the science shows are very different. Recent research does show a correlation between tinnitus and dementia, but it does not show causation. And while tinnitus can cause cognitive symptoms, they look nothing like the profile of true dementia.
Large population studies have found higher rates of dementia in people with tinnitus [1], but they don’t account for the real drivers of neurodegeneration, such as sleep disruption, chronic stress, and inflammation. These factors can impair cognition and make tinnitus more intrusive, creating the false impression that tinnitus causes dementia.
Further, tinnitus does not share any of the foundational features we see in dementia, such as:
The pathophysiological connection to tinnitus is simply not there.
But here’s the problem... Tinnitus really does create a kind of cognitive impairment, and for those who suffer from it, these symptoms can make a suggested link to dementia feel all too real. So what’s driving these symptoms in tinnitus? How do........