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Who says new year, says good resolutions. While some may consider exercising more or drinking less alcohol, others could simply put their hearing aids to good use, and not just to perceive sounds better. A new study reports that these devices could reduce the risk of premature death by nearly 25% among those who need them on a daily basis. Explanations.
There appears to be a strong association between wearing hearing aids and longevity, at least among those who suffer from hearing loss. These are the conclusions of a study conducted by researchers at Keck Medicine at the University of Southern California, who suggest that hearing aids could not only preserve the health of those affected, but also prevent premature deaths. A surprising finding that should not be overlooked if we consider, as scientists point out, that 40 million American adults suffer from hearing loss, but that only 10% of them use this type of hearing aid. devices.
Can hearing aids save your life?
“We found that adults with hearing loss who regularly used hearing aids had a 24% lower risk of mortality compared to those who never wore them. These results are exciting because they suggest that hearing aids may play a protective role in people’s health and prevent premature death.“, explains Janet Choi, otolaryngologist at Keck Medicine, and lead author of this work, in a press release.
To reach these conclusions, the researchers set out to analyze data compiled by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 1999 and 2012. The objective being to identify 10,000 adults aged 20 and over who had completed hearing tests and having provided information on the use of possible hearing aids. Scientists determined that 1,863 adults suffered from hearing loss, of whom 237 regularly used hearing aids and more than 1,480 never used them. Note that the evolution of participants’ mortality was monitored over a period of 10 years on average after the tests.
2.5 billion people affected in 2050
And the conclusions seem clear, since the researchers observed a reduction of almost 25% in the risk of mortality among those who regularly wore their hearing aids. And this is independent of many variables, such as the degree of hearing loss, age, ethnic origin, or even income and education levels. It is also important to note that no differences were observed between non-regular hearing aid users and participants who had never worn hearing aids. Occasional use of this type of device would not be effective in extending the lifespan.
“Recent research has linked hearing aid use to decreased levels of depression and dementia. It posits that improvements in mental health and cognition that result from better hearing may promote better general health, which may improve lifespan“, suggests the study, although this association was neither studied nor analyzed by the researchers.
The link between wearing hearing aids and longevity has not been clearly established by scientists, who now plan to carry out further research. However, they hope that these initial results will encourage the wearing of hearing aids, whatever they may be, among those who need them. According to estimates from the World Health Organization (WHO), one in four people could suffer from hearing loss by 2050. This would represent as many as 2.5 billion people worldwide.
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