- Researchers are reporting
that hearing aids can help lower the risk of early mortality.
- They say that one reason is
that hearing aids can help to prevent or slow the progression of dementia.
- The stigma attached to
hearing aids and the fear of losing them are some of the reasons people
say they are reluctant to use the devices.
Hearing aids can
help reduce mortality risk, according to a study. published in The Lancet Healthy Longevity journal.
Researchers used data from the National
Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. to
identify nearly 10,000 adults who were 20 and older and had completed audiometry
evaluations as well as filled out questionnaires about their
hearing aid use.
The scientists followed 1,863 participants for
10 years to determine their mortality status.
The researchers noted that:
- 237 study participants were regular hearing aid
users. Regular use was wearing their hearing aid at least once a week,
five hours a week, or half the time.
- 1,483 were classified as never-users. This
group included those who reported wearing their hearing aids less than
once a month.
The researchers said there was nearly a 25%
difference in mortality risk between regular hearing aid users and never-users.
This result remained true regardless of the degree of hearing loss,
age, ethnicity, income, education, and other demographic factors.
The researchers said there was no difference between those
who occasionally used their hearing aid and those who reported never using it,
indicating the occasional use does not provide life-extending benefits.
The scientists did not examine why there was a difference in
mortality risk, but Dr. Janet Choi, the lead study author and a specialist in
neurotology and otolaryngology at the Caruso Department of Otolaryngology Head
& Neck Surgery at the University of Southern California, speculated that
causes of hearing loss, such as depression and loneliness,
could be contributing factors.
One expert, however, expressed caution about reading too much
into the study.
“I am concerned that people reading this study will be
concerned that they are going to die earlier because of hearing loss,” added Dr. Darius
Kohan, the chief of otology and neurotology at Northwell Lenox Hill
Hospital in New York. “This isn’t true. People do
not die from hearing loss. They may die because of contributing circumstances,
such as depression or loneliness.“
“I think it would be great if influencers,
including celebrities, who have hearing loss and could talk openly about their
experiences with hearing aids,” Kohan, who was not involved in the research,
told Medical
News Today. “This could encourage people to use them and lower the stigma
associated with hearing aids.”
How
hearing aids can help delay dementia
Another study. published today that used
data from the Hearing Examinations in Southern Denmark database, which
contains data on all pure-tone audiometry examinations performed at public
hearing rehabilitation clinics in southern Denmark, found that hearing aids
might prevent or delay the progression of dementia,
including Alzheimer’s
disease.
The study included people aged 50 and older.
However, the researchers excluded those with dementia at baseline, those who
did not have complete address information, and those who did not live in
Denmark for the preceding five years.
The database included:
- 573,088
people with a mean age of 60
- 23,023
people with dementia
The scientists used medical records in the
database to determine how many people had hearing loss and how many requested a
hearing aid. They used requests for batteries as an indication of hearing aid
use.
After analysis, the researchers found that
people with hearing loss had a 7% higher risk of dementia, especially among
those who did not use hearing aids.
The researchers noted that these risk estimates
were substantially lower than in other studies, indicating a need for more
high-quality longitudinal research.
A study. published
in August 2023 also underscored the risk of dementia in people with hearing
loss and went as far as to say, “Treating hearing loss may be a safe way to
lower the risk of dementia in vulnerable populations.”
In that study, researchers found that people
with hearing aids had substantially better communication skills. Although that
is predictable, the researchers also noted that the participants who received
hearing aids had almost a 50% reduction in the rate of cognitive decline
compared to a second group that was given education but not a hearing aid.
The
importance of having hearing checked
Experts suggest that older adults have their
hearing checked regularly.
“Speaking from experience, I think we have to
screen older patients who present with dementia for hearing loss,” said Dr. Shae
Datta, the co-director of NYU Langone’s Concussion Center in New
York and director of cognitive neurology at NYU
Langone Hospital – Long Island.
“Hearing aids can remove barriers to
comprehension,” Datta, who was not involved in the research, told Medical News Today.
The scientists in the latest dementia study
indicated that the results suggested that hearing aids might prevent or delay
the onset and progression of dementia.
“This is a great study,” Kohan said. “The
participant pool is virtually an entire country, which makes the study
worthwhile.”
“Hearing loss usually starts in a person’s 60s
and develops slowly, so the person isn’t aware of it,” he added. “I think
getting screened for hearing loss at that age would benefit people. It is
possible to do it at home using an app. While the results might not be what you
would receive from a doctor, they provide information on hearing loss.”
Dr. Michael Yong, an otolaryngologist and neurorhinologist at
Pacific Neuroscience Institute in California who
was not involved in the study, agreed.
He told Medical News Today that apps are a
great tool, but he suggests they be used for screening and to answer the
question, “Do I need to see a doctor?”
The stigma of hearing aids
The researchers noted that only about 10% of
people who could benefit from hearing aids use them.
“There is a lot of stigmas around hearing
aids,” Datta said. “It may take counseling to convince them to wear them.”
“They allow people to interact with the world
more fully,” added Kohan. “Many people are concerned that wearing a hearing aid
makes them look old, but I think not hearing makes people look old. They tend
to miss portions of conversations and may not answer when asked a question.
They could make more mistakes or miss instructions to complete a task at work.
Not hearing is more obvious than a hearing aid.”
“The cost can
also be prohibitive. This factor has eased with the ability to buy hearing
aids over the counter,” Kohan added. “These are pretty good, but
they still need to be programmed. Certainly, they are better than nothing. Some
doctors offer the service of programming them. You
might buy hearing aids for $300 at the store and pay a few hundred to have them
programmed, and you have a much less expensive set of hearing aids.”
Yong says in his work people have several
objections to wearing hearing aids. They include:
- Social
stigma
- Difficulty
to maintain
- Fear of
losing them
- Lacking the
manual dexterity to put the devices into the ear
“It is important to educate patients,” Yong
said. “Using a hearing aid has a learning curve. Medical professionals should
open the discussion to find out the biggest objections and start from there.
Today, there are a lot of different options. It is the medical professionals’
job to work with the patient and find the type that works best. People
typically continue to use the hearing aid when they see a benefit.”
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