Association between hearing aid use and mortality in adults with hearing loss in the US: a cross-sectional cohort mortality follow-up study Summary Hearing loss has been identified as an independent risk factor for negative health outcomes and mortality. However, it is currently unknown whether rehabilitation with the use of hearing aids is associated with lower mortality. This study aimed to examine the associations between hearing loss, hearing aid use, and mortality in the US. Methods In this cross-sectional follow-up study, we evaluated 9,885 adults (aged 20 years or older) who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 1999 and 2012 and completed audiometry and hearing aid use questionnaires (1,863 adults with hearing loss). . Primary measures included hearing loss (pure tone average speech frequency) and hearing aid use (never users, non-regular users, and regular users). Cohort mortality status was linked to the National Death Index through December 31, 2019. Cox proportional regression models were used to examine the association between hearing loss, hearing aid use, and mortality while adjusting for by demographic data and medical history. Results The cohort was composed of 9,885 participants, of which 5,037 (51.0%) were women and 4,848 (49.0%) were men, with a mean age of 48.6 years (SD 18.1) at the beginning of the study. . The weighted prevalence of hearing loss measured by audiometry was 14.7% (95% CI: 13.3–16.3%) and the all-cause mortality rate was 13.2% (12.1–16.3%). 14.4) at a median of 10.4 years of follow-up (range 0.1–20.8). The rate of regular hearing aid use among adults with hearing loss was 12.7% (95% CI: 10.6–15.1). Hearing loss was an independent risk factor associated with increased mortality (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 1.40 [95% CI 1.21–1.62]). Among people with hearing loss, adjusted mortality risk was lower among regular hearing aid users compared with never users (adjusted HR 0.76 [0.60–0.95]) taking into account demographics, hearing levels and medical history. There was no difference in adjusted mortality between non-regular hearing aid users and never users (adjusted HR 0.93 [0.70–1.24]).
Interpretation Regular hearing aid use was associated with lower risks of mortality than never users among US adults with hearing loss when controlling for age, hearing loss, and other potential confounders. Future research is needed to investigate the possible protective role of hearing aid use against mortality in adults with hearing loss. |
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University of Southern California - Health Sciences
A new study shows that adults with hearing loss who regularly used hearing aids had a 24% lower risk of mortality than those who never used them.
Hearing loss affects about 40 million American adults, but only one in 10 people who need hearing aids use them, research shows.
Those who don’t use hearing aids but should want to make them one of their New Year’s resolutions, according to a new study from Keck Medicine of USC published in The Lancet Healthy Longevity .
"We found that adults with hearing loss who regularly used hearing aids had a 24% lower risk of mortality than those who never used them," said Janet Choi, MD, MPH, an otolaryngologist at Keck Medicine and the study’s principal investigator. "These results are interesting 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 reduced life expectancy (as well as other poor outcomes, such as social isolation, depression, and dementia). However, until now, there has been very little research examining whether hearing aid use can reduce the risk of death. According to Choi, the study represents the most comprehensive analysis to date of the relationship between hearing loss, hearing aid use and mortality in the United States.
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 assessments, a test used to measure hearing ability, and who completed questionnaires about their hearing aid use. The researchers followed their mortality status for an average follow-up period of 10 years after their evaluations.
A total of 1,863 adults with hearing loss were identified. Of them, 237 were regular hearing aid users, characterized as those who reported using them at least once a week, five hours a week, or half the time, and 1,483 were identified as never users of the devices. Subjects who reported using the devices less than once a month or less frequently were categorized as non-regular users.
The 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 the degree of hearing loss (mild to severe); age, ethnicity, income, education and other demographic data; and medical history. There was no difference in mortality risk between non-regular and never-users, indicating that occasional hearing aid use may not provide any life-prolonging benefit.
While 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 lower levels of depression and dementia. She speculates that the improvements in mental health and cognition that come with better hearing may promote better overall health, which may improve life expectancy.
Choi hopes this study will encourage more people to use hearing aids, although she acknowledges that factors such as cost, stigma and difficulty finding devices that fit and work well are barriers to their use.
Choi can personally relate to these challenges. She was born with hearing loss in her left ear, but did not use a hearing device until she was 30 years old. Then it took her several years to find ones that worked effectively for her.
He is currently working on an AI-powered database that sorts hearing aid options and tailors them to individual patient needs. He also advocates for larger studies to better understand the link between regular hearing aid use and lower risk of mortality and to promote hearing care.
Reference : Janet S Choi, Meredith E Adams, Eileen M Crimmins, Frank R Lin, Jennifer A Ailshire. Association between hearing aid use and mortality in adults with hearing loss in the USA: a mortality follow-up study of a cross-sectional cohort . The Lancet Healthy Longevity , 2024; 5 (1): e66 DOI: 10.1016/S2666-7568(23)00232-5
