Hearing aids can help people with hearing loss live longer, analysis suggests

Hearing loss affects about 40 million American adults, but only one in 10 people who need hearing aids use them, a study finds.

Those who don’t use hearing aids but should might want to make it one of their New Year’s resolutions, according to a new study from Keck Medicine of USC published today in The Lancet: healthy longevity.

“We found that adults with hearing loss who regularly used hearing aids had a 24% lower mortality risk than those who never wore them,” said Janet Choi, MD, MPH, an otolaryngologist at Keck Medicine and researcher. main part of the study. “These results are exciting because they suggest that hearing aids may play a protective role in people’s health and prevent premature death.”

Previous research has shown that untreated hearing loss can lead to a shortened lifespan (along with other adverse consequences such as social isolation, depression, and dementia). However, until now, very little research has been done to determine whether the use of hearing aids can reduce the risk of death. The study represents the most comprehensive analysis to date of the relationship between hearing loss, hearing aid use and mortality in the United States, according to Choi.

Choi and his fellow researchers used data compiled by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 1999 and 2012 to identify nearly 10,000 adults ages 20 and older who had completed audiometry evaluations, a test used to measure hearing ability, and who had completed questionnaires on their hearing ability. use of hearing aids. The researchers tracked their mortality status over an average follow-up period of 10 years after their assessments.

A total of 1,863 adults were identified as having hearing loss. Of these, 237 were regular hearing aid users, that is, those who reported wearing the devices at least once a week, five hours a week, or half the time, and 1,483 were identified as n having never used these devices. Subjects who reported wearing the devices less than once a month or less frequently were classified as non-regular users.

Researchers found that the nearly 25% difference in mortality risk between regular hearing aid users and never users remained stable regardless of variables such as degree of hearing loss ( from mild to severe); age, ethnicity, income, education and other demographic data; and medical history. There was no difference in mortality risk between non-regular users and never users, indicating that occasional use of hearing aids may not provide life-prolonging benefit.

Although the study did not examine why hearing aids may help those who need them live longer, Choi points to recent research linking hearing aid use to decreased levels of depression and of dementia. It posits that improvements in mental health and cognition associated with better hearing may promote better overall health, which could improve lifespan.

Choi hopes this study will encourage more people to wear hearing aids, although she acknowledges that factors including cost, stigma and difficulty finding devices that fit and work well pose barriers to their use.

Choi can personally relate to these challenges. She was born with hearing loss in her left ear, but didn’t wear a hearing aid until she was 30. It then took her several years to find the ones that worked effectively for her.

She is currently working on an AI-powered database that categorizes hearing aid choices and tailors them to individual patient needs. She also calls for larger studies to better understand the link between regular hearing aid use and lower mortality risk and to promote hearing care.