Study associates hearing aids with lower dementia risk
A large-scale study using UK Biobank data has found that adults with hearing loss who regularly use hearing aids face a significantly reduced risk of developing dementia. The research, published in The Lancet Healthy Longevity, highlights hearing loss treatment as a potential modifiable factor in dementia prevention. This comes amid growing evidence linking untreated hearing impairment to cognitive decline.
The study, led by researchers from the University of Southern Denmark and Johns Hopkins University, analyzed data from the UK Biobank, a vast biomedical database. It included over 1 million participants aged 50 and older who were followed for an average of about 12 years. Among those with hearing loss, the risk of incident dementia was 48% lower for regular hearing aid users compared to non-users, according to the findings published on August 1, 2024.
Hearing loss affects more than 1.5 billion people worldwide and is a known modifiable risk factor for dementia, second only to hypertension in prevalence among such factors. The study adjusted for variables like age, sex, socioeconomic status, and comorbidities to isolate the effect of hearing aid use. Lead author Manuella Ptolemy, PhD, from Johns Hopkins, stated, 'Our findings provide robust evidence supporting the use of hearing aids to mitigate dementia risk in people with hearing loss.'
Previous research has suggested that untreated hearing loss may accelerate brain atrophy and social isolation, both contributing to cognitive decline. This new analysis builds on a 2023 study in the same cohort that first identified the association, but with a larger sample and longer follow-up. However, the observational design means it cannot prove causation, and randomized trials are needed to confirm benefits.
The UK Biobank data showed that only about 6% of participants with hearing loss used hearing aids regularly, underscoring a gap in treatment uptake. Experts like Frank Lin, MD, PhD, a co-author and hearing specialist at Johns Hopkins, noted, 'If hearing aids can help preserve cognitive health, it's a low-hanging fruit for public health interventions.' Implications include potential policy shifts to improve access to hearing devices, especially for older adults.
While the study focused on UK participants, its findings could apply broadly, given the global scale of hearing loss. No direct contradictions were noted in the source, which emphasizes the need for further research to explore mechanisms like improved auditory stimulation or reduced cognitive load.