Dementia and hearing loss share radiologic and biologic findings that might explain their coexistence, especially in the elderly population. Brain atrophy has been observed in both conditions, as well as the presence of areas of gliosis. The brain atrophy is usually focal; it is located in the temporal lobe in patients with hearing loss, while it involves different part of brain in patients with dementia. Radiological studies have shown white matter hyperintensities (WMHs) in both conditions. WMHs have been correlated with the inability to correctly understand words in elderly persons with normal auditory thresholds and, the identification of these lesion in brain magnetic resonance imaging studies has been linked with an increased risk of developing cognitive loss. In addition to WMHs, some anatomopathological studies identified the presence of brain gliosis in the elderly’s brain. The cause-effect link between hearing loss and dementia is still unknown, despite they might share some common findings. The aim of this systematic review is to analyze radiologic and biomolecular findings that these two conditions might share, identify a common pathological basis, and discuss the effects of hearing aids on prevention and treatment of cognitive decline in elderly patients with hearing loss.

痴呆症和听力损失共享可能解释它们共存的放射学和生物学发现，尤其是在老年人群中。在这两种情况下都观察到脑萎缩，以及存在神经胶质增生的区域。脑萎缩通常是局灶性的；它位于听力损失患者的颞叶，而痴呆患者则涉及大脑的不同部位。放射学研究表明两种情况下的白质高信号 (WMH)。WMH 与听力阈值正常的老年人无法正确理解单词有关，并且在脑磁共振成像研究中发现这些病变与发生认知丧失的风险增加有关。除了 WMH，一些解剖病理学研究确定了老年人大脑中存在脑胶质增生。听力损失和痴呆之间的因果联系仍然未知，尽管他们可能会分享一些共同的发现。本系统评价的目的是分析这两种情况可能共有的放射学和生物分子发现，确定共同的病理基础，并讨论助听器对老年听力损失患者认知能力下降的预防和治疗效果。