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."

"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: Progressive neuronal loss Declining episodic memory"

"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. Many tinnitus patients describe a decreased mental clarity that comes with the condition. Some call it "tinnitus brain fog"-a sense of distraction, slowed thinking, or mental static. This is a form a mild cognitive impairment, but it is not early dementia."

Large population studies report higher dementia rates among people with tinnitus, but those studies do not establish causation and may be confounded by sleep disruption, chronic stress, and inflammation. Those factors can impair cognition and increase tinnitus salience, creating an apparent association. Tinnitus lacks hallmark dementia features such as progressive neuronal loss, declining episodic memory, broad multi-domain executive dysfunction, and steady deterioration. Tinnitus produces a distinct mild cognitive impairment characterized by distraction, slowed thinking, and "tinnitus brain fog." Those cognitive changes are driven by attention load, emotional distress, and sleep disruption rather than neurodegeneration.

Read at Psychology Today