New Study Links Use Of Hearing Aids To Reduction In Dementia

Hearing loss has long been known to be a contributor to cognitive decline, social isolation, poor self-esteem, functional disability and worsening dementia in older adults. As hearing loss is one of the most prevalent conditions in people over age 65 years, with over half of the individuals in this age group suffering from some degree of hearing loss, the issue of hearing restoration to minimize neurological deterioration is paramount.

In recent months, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an order to enable the purchase of hearing aids without a prescription. As I reported for Forbes, this effort would enable the millions of Americans with untreated hearing loss to have easier access to hearing aids.

But while this premise seems ideal, putting over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids into practice, according to Joshua Cohen in his Forbes article addressing this issue, “appear(s) to comprise a rather clunky solution to a major problem.” The limitations for OTC hearing aids applies only to individuals with mild to moderate hearing loss. In addition, the absence of medical examinations and recommendations regarding which type of hearing aid would be best, not to mention the possibility of an ear-related medical issue that would need to be addressed prior to the use of hearing aids, may in many cases outweigh the cost savings and time savings of skipping visits to a physician and audiologist.

A study in this month’s JAMA Neurology addressed the question of whether or not hearing aid use can help reduce cognitive decline in older adults with hearing loss. The authors acknowledge that while it is well known that unidentified and untreated hearing loss are linked to cognitive decline, it is unclear whether or not hearing aids and/or hearing restoration surgery can aid in preventing or reducing such decline. The group, based at the National University of Singapore, reviewed eight prior studies, which included a total of over 126,000 participants. They found a 19% reduction in cognitive decline and dementia in hearing aid users compared with those with hearing loss who were not using hearing aids. They also reviewed studies where participants engaged in short-term memory cognitive testing, and found a small (3%) improvement in those with hearing loss who wore hearing aids compared to those who remained unaided.

As hearing loss is the third most common chronic condition in older adults, highlighting the importance of screening, addressing, and treating this condition is critical. There are known associations between unrecognized and untreated hearing loss and cognitive decline. Knowing that rectifying this problem can improve cognition by nearly 20% is reason enough to continue advocating for making hearing health a more visible and manageable condition.

An important additional factor is the continued need to de-stigmatize the use of assistive listening devices, including hearing aids. In fact, hearing loss is one of the most common conditions in healthy newborns, with 1 in 300 children having some degree of hearing loss. The more awareness of hearing loss as a condition that is able to be identified and treated, as is the case for visual loss, and one that not a sign of neurological decline or fragility in and of itself, the more people will be able to both listen and be heard.