Dementia is one of the greatest public health challenges facingelderly people worldwide. It has been predicted that by 2050, thenumber of patients with dementia worldwide will increase approximately three times, from 46.8 million to 113.5 million. Alzheimer disease makes up more than 60% of dementia cases [1].Hearing loss is highly prevalent in the elderly and is severely undertreated. Around two-thirds of people older than 70 years areaffected by hearing loss, but fewer than 20% of adults with hearing loss receive care (e.g., hearing aids). As the global populationis growing and aging, the number of people with hearing loss isincreasing rapidly. In fact, the World Health Organization [2] iscurrently predicting a related increase in the incidence of hearingloss around the world. Globally, there are about 466 million people with debilitating hearing loss; this figure is expected to growto 630 million by 2030 and over 900 million by 2050 unless action is taken. Untreated hearing loss also imposes a significanteconomic burden, with an estimated annual global cost of $750billion. Hearing loss has only recently been identified as a possible risk factor for dementia and has not been prioritized in thecare of patients with or at risk of dementia. However, the latestprospective cohort studies have shown that hearing loss in individuals who are cognitively healthy, but hearing-impaired at baseline, is an independent risk factor of incident dementia (i.e., newcases of dementia) [3]. Therefore, methods for the early diagnosis and rehabilitation of hearing loss are needed to prevent dementia.
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