Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Hearing Health Problems May Skew Alzheimer's Test Results

Suffering from hearing loss can cause a lot of stress due to the inability to hear properly during social interactions and everyday activities. A new study has now also found that hearing loss may skew Alzheimer’s test results. Patients who are tested might be mistakenly diagnosed as having Alzheimer’s when that is not the case.

Researcher Michael Lerch, MD, of Diakonia Mark-Ruhr Hospital in Hagen, Germany states how "A hearing test should be imperative prior to cognitive testing." A patient being tested for Alzheimer’s may have a hard time understanding the questions being asked due to their loss of hearing. This will affect test results, as patients might answer incorrectly, later being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.

Always be aware of signs that might indicate hearing health problems. Visiting an audiologist such as Dr. Joseph Duran, will help in correctly diagnosing and treating the condition. It will also avoid situations in which patients are wrongly diagnosed.

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