Hearing loss is a public health issue affecting more and more people around the world. The WHO predicts that by 2050, around 2.5 billion people – one in four – will have some degree of hearing loss. A few years ago the problem was mainly older people, but today the average age is decreasing due to prolonged noise exposure, especially in large cities. But although many have hearing problems, only about 39% use hearing aids to improve their hearing, according to data from the National Association of Hearing Care Professionals of Spain (ANA).
“It is a very big mistake not to use hearing aids, as their use could significantly improve life expectancy,” says Dr. Janet Choi, an otolaryngologist at the Keck Institute of Medicine at the University of Southern California. Choi is the author of a study published this Thursday in the journal The Lancet Healthy Longevity that analyzes the connection between hearing aid use and mortality in the United States. In fact, adults with hearing loss who regularly wear hearing aids have a 25% lower risk of death than those who never wear them. “These are promising results because they suggest that hearing aids can play a protective role in people's health and prevent premature deaths,” explains Choi.
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Previous studies have shown that untreated hearing loss can also lead to a shortened life expectancy, among other negative effects such as social isolation and depression. In fact, deafness is the main risk factor for dementia in middle age. However, there is little research into whether the use of hearing aids could reduce the risk of death. According to the authors, this study is the most comprehensive analysis to date of how hearing loss and hearing aid use affect mortality in the United States, where only one in 10 people who need these devices use them.
“There are many hurdles associated with hearing aids. Costs and lack of health insurance coverage are important factors. But there’s also a lot of stigma associated with hearing loss and its use,” admits Choi, who was born with hearing loss in her left ear but didn’t use a device until she was 30, when she finally found devices that could do it worked effectively for her. “Many people view hearing loss as a disability that they don't want to show others that they wear hearing aids. “But I think that if you tell your family and friends that you have hearing loss, you will get more help and have a better quality of life with this condition,” he emphasizes.
For this study, Choi and his team analyzed data collected from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 1999 and 2012. They focused on about 10,000 adults over the age of 20 who had completed audiometry tests, which are used to calculate hearing ability. and who took part in a survey about their hearing aid use. Among them, they identified a total of 1,863 adults with hearing loss. However, only 237 people reported wearing hearing aids regularly, meaning they used these devices at least once a week, for five hours, or half the time they were awake. The remaining group said they had never used these devices or used them less than once a month.
Based on this data and after monitoring participants' mortality rates for ten years, researchers found that people who regularly wore hearing aids had a 25% lower risk of death than those who never used them. They also found that there is no difference in the risk of death between those who use hearing aids occasionally and those who never use them, suggesting that occasional hearing aid use may not be enough to live longer.
Cognitive impairment
Although the study does not examine the reasons why hearing aids might help those who need them improve their life expectancy, numerous recent studies have linked the use of these devices to reduced levels of depression and dementia. “The improvements in mental and cognitive health that accompany better hearing may lead to better overall health, which in turn could extend life expectancy,” the author notes. Another possible explanation is the association between hearing loss and frailty syndrome, an age-related disease characterized by a pronounced vulnerability of older people who suffer from physical and cognitive decline.
In this sense, Dr. Luis Lassaletta, President of the Otology Commission of the Spanish Society of Otorhinolaryngology, noted the relevance of this study in its ability to establish a link between hearing loss and the greater frailty of those who suffer from it. “In older people, hearing loss means a deterioration in many aspects of their quality of life and especially their cognitive state,” emphasizes Lassaletta. “This study suggests that, depending on the degree of loss, it is possible to reverse this deterioration with hearing aids or cochlear implants to not only improve quality of life but also improve or reduce mortality.”
However, the authors of the study admit that there are certain limitations and biases that could not be eliminated and that may affect the results of the research. For example, the socioeconomic level of the participants, which is a relevant factor when it comes to being able to afford a hearing aid. “It can be assumed that the most advantaged classes are more likely to use hearing aids due to their high cost, especially in countries without a public health system such as the United States,” confirms Jacinto García Lorenzo, head of the otolaryngology service at Hospital del Mar in Barcelona. Who is wary of the study results? “However, the general direction of the research confirms something we already know, namely that the use of hearing aids improves the auditory connection with the outside world and therefore the quality of life of the people who use them. “, It says.
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