A Change in Your Voice Could Be an Early Sign of Cognitive Decline, New Study Finds
Adults with voice disorders faced a 29% higher risk of cognitive decline, and those with both voice and hearing problems had about double the risk, researchers said.
- A study published in the Journal of Voice links voice disorders to cognitive decline, analyzing primary care data from more than 833,000 adults aged 50-plus to identify future dementia risk.
- Voice disorders affect roughly 18 million adults annually, involving abnormalities in vocal quality, pitch, or volume. Robert Sataloff of Drexel University College of Medicine defined voice abnormalities as lacking a clear, sustainable voice.
- Overall, the voice disorder group was about 29 percent more likely to develop a cognitive condition than control groups. The voice-only group showed a 58 percent greater risk versus a control group with neither issue.
- Heather Whitson, director of the Duke Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development, noted that voice issues may cause social withdrawal linked to increased dementia risk, as speaking less reduces brain activation.
- Kimberly Mueller, associate professor in the Communication Sciences and Disorders Department at University of Wisconsin, noted voice problems could help doctors track higher-risk patients earlier, though a 2023 survey found 40 percent of people with voice issues avoid seeking care.
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Krem2 News
A change in your voice could be an early sign of cognitive decline, new study finds
Voice disorders may be associated with a higher dementia risk and even could be a stronger early biomarker than hearing loss, researchers said.
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The Washington Post
An early sign of dementia may be hiding in your voice, new research suggests
A large analysis found that voice disorders are linked to a risk of cognitive decline — and they’re more common than you might assume.
Voice disorders may be more closely linked to future dementia risk than hearing loss itself.
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