Hearing aids can help people with hearing loss live longer, according to a study.
American researchers found that people with hearing loss had a 24 percent lower risk of premature death if they wore the device regularly compared to those who never wore it.
The team said the “exciting” results, based on a study of around 10,000 people, suggest that hearing aids can protect health and extend life.
Experts believe the effect is because hearing aids reduce the risk of cognitive decline and promote physical, social and mental well-being.
US researchers found that people with hearing loss had a 24 percent lower risk of premature death if they wore the device regularly compared to those who never wore it
Previous studies suggest that untreated hearing loss is associated with a shorter life expectancy.
However, very little research has been done on whether hearing aids can reduce the risk of death.
Dr. Janet Choi, lead author and an ear, nose and throat surgeon at the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, said: “We found that adults with hearing loss who regularly wore hearing aids had a 24 percent lower risk of death than those who they wore.” .never worn.
“These results are exciting because they suggest that hearing aids can play a protective role in people’s health and prevent premature death.”
According to the charity Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID), around 12 million adults in the UK are deaf, suffer from hearing loss or tinnitus.
It is estimated that seven million Britons could benefit from hearing aids, but only two million use them.
In the United States, approximately 37.5 million adults have hearing problems.
Researchers studied nearly 10,000 adults over the age of 20 who had a hearing test between 1999 and 2012. They were persecuted for ten years.
Data collected as part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey included responses about hearing aid use.
The results showed that 1,863 adults had hearing loss.
Of these, 237 reported using hearing aids regularly, classified as at least once a week, five hours a week or half the time.
But 1,483 people never used the devices.
People who reported wearing the devices less than once a month or less were classified as infrequent users.
Analysis of the statistics found that those who had hearing loss but never wore hearing aids had a 24 percent higher risk of dying during the study compared to people who regularly wore hearing aids.
The results held regardless of participants’ degree of hearing loss, age, ethnicity, income, education or medical history.
There was no difference in the risk of death between non-frequent users and never users, suggesting that occasional hearing aid use does not confer life-prolonging benefits.
Researchers hope the findings, published in the journal The Lancet Healthy Longevity, will encourage more people to wear hearing aids.
However, they noted that factors such as stigma and difficulty finding devices that fit and function properly pose barriers to their use.
Crystal Rolfe, director of healthcare at RNID, said: “Hearing aids offer huge benefits to people with hearing loss.”
“Research shows that wearing hearing aids can reduce the risk of cognitive decline and is known to have positive effects on physical, social, emotional and mental well-being.”
“It is now possible that hearing aids can even help people with hearing loss live longer, and we would welcome more research to understand the connection.”
“If you think you may have hearing loss, make checking your hearing your New Year’s resolution; The benefits can be endless.”
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Crystal Leahy is an author and health journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a background in health and wellness, Crystal has a passion for helping people live their best lives through healthy habits and lifestyles.
