Untreated hearing loss is linked to increased cognitive decline and has been estimated to contribute to approximately 8 percent of global dementia cases, equivalent to 800,000 of the nearly 10 million new cases diagnosed annually

Age-related hearing loss is extremely common, affecting two-thirds of adults aged over 60 globally. But, despite this, less than one in 10 individuals with hearing loss in low- and middle-income countries, and fewer than three in 10 in high-income countries, currently use hearing aids, reveal the latest findings published by the Lancet.

As untreated hearing loss may contribute to cognitive decline and dementia in many ways. The hearing loss makes the brain work harder to the detriment of mental functions like thinking and memory. Another possibility is that hearing loss causes the ageing brain to shrink more quickly. And a third possibility is that hearing loss leads people to be less socially engaged and the reduced stimulation, as a result, may result in brain atrophy.

The findings of the first Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT) of its kind involving nearly 1,000 older adults from multiple locations across the USA add to the growing evidence that addressing hearing impairment may be a critically important global public health target for dementia prevention efforts.

“These results provide compelling evidence that treating hearing loss is a powerful tool to protect cognitive function in later life, and possibly, over the long term, delay a dementia diagnosis,” Professor Frank Lin of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Bloomberg School of Public Health said. “But any cognitive benefits of treating age-related hearing loss are likely to vary depending on an individuals’ risk of cognitive decline.”

The study confirms conclusions by the 2020 Lancet Commission on Dementia and the 2022 United States National Plan to Address Alzheimer’s Disease that called for treating age-related hearing loss to supplement existing national dementia risk reduction strategies.

Untreated hearing loss is associated with greater cognitive decline and was estimated by the 2020 Lancet Commission on Dementia to contribute to around 8 percent of dementia cases worldwide—equivalent to 800,000 of the nearly 10 million new cases of dementia diagnosed every year.

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