Is there a link between hearing aids and longevity?

A study has just highlighted that individuals equipped with hearing aids have a reduced risk of mortality compared with those who do not use these devices. But can we explain this mysterious result?

Hearing loss affects about 𝟏.𝟔 𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝𝐰𝐢𝐝𝐞, and its prevalence increases year after year. This condition is associated with reduced quality of life, a higher risk of depression and dementia, and high mortality. In addition, it has been shown that the risk of death doubles per 30 dB of hearing loss in these patients. 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐢𝐝𝐬 are the first-line treatment for most people, with 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞.

However, the link between mortality risk and wearing hearing aids had never been studied. An American study published in the journal 𝐿𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑡 𝐻𝑒𝑎𝑙𝑡ℎ𝑦 𝐿𝑜𝑛𝑔𝑒𝑣𝑖𝑡𝑦 the results of a 13-year longitudinal cohort study, including 𝟏,𝟖𝟔𝟑 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐬. They confirmed that hearing loss was 𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 in their cohort, and that the risk of 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐞𝐝 in individuals with hearing loss 𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐢𝐝𝐬, compared with those who did not wear them.

The authors have made several hypotheses to explain this link. Indeed, the use of hearing aids could 𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐟 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬, 𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧, which would contribute to a decrease in mortality. In addition, hearing aid users are potentially more health conscious and more likely to have regular medical follow-up. Finally, hearing loss could also have an effect on the brain structure, due to the absence of auditory stimuli.