Jeremy Clarkson's hearing loss raises concern for dementia risk
Jeremy Clarkson recently updated people about his current health condition, revealing that he's part of the "double risk" group for developing dementia. The doctor has advised the 63-year-old presenter to use hearing aids.
3:57 PM EST, November 29, 2023
Jeremy Clarkson, a British journalist popularly known from the car show "Top Gear", often appears on television, although his association with the said production has ended a few years ago. His car evaluations can now be watched on "The Grand Tour," accessible via the Prime Video platform.
In addition, he hosted the British version of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" on ITV until 2022. The journalist elicited a robust wave of criticism after his controversial column for "The Sun," following the premiere of the documentary "Harry & Meghan." In it, he expressed a desire to one day see Meghan "paraded naked in the streets of each city in Great Britain, while crowds chant 'Shame!' and hurl excrement at her".
Recently, concerning Clarkson, unsettling news has come to light. The popular presenter revealed that he falls into the "double risk" group for dementia. His doctor informed the 63-year-old of his need for hearing aids, a need related to his potential development of dementia.
"This has been ongoing for 12 years, and as a patient man, I've coped. But my latest medical checkup revealed that hearing loss doubles my risk of developing dementia," he said in an interview with The Sunday Times.
Jeremy mentioned that he experiences significant gaps in conversations, even when someone is right beside him. Still, he's maintaining a positive outlook and humorously remarked how he cannot hear his girlfriend Lisa asking him to load the dishwasher.
How can one manage Clarkson's condition?
The British National Health Service (NHS) states that even mild hearing loss doubles the risk of dementia. Moderate hearing loss triples the risk, and severe loss could raise the risk up to five times.
The NHS website suggests that using hearing aids can help to mitigate the risk as well as the effects of dementia. According to Jeremy, his doctor provided him with "highly effective and incredibly clever" hearing aids to counteract the problem.