Wear your hearing aid to reduce your chances of dying early

Persevere with using your hearing aid – it will not only help protect your health, but also decrease your risk of dying early. — dpa

A new year means new resolutions.

While some look to get more exercise or drink less alcohol, others might want to consider making good use of their hearing aids – and not just for better sound perception.

A new study by researchers from the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine (Keck Medicine) in the United States, reports that regularly using these devices could reduce the risk of premature death by almost 25% in people with hearing loss, as well as help protect their health.

These surprising findings should not be overlooked, considering that, as the scientists point out, some 40 million American adults suffer from hearing loss, but only 10% of them use hearing aids.

“We found that adults with hearing loss who regularly used hearing aids had a 24% lower risk of mortality than those who never wore them,” said study lead researcher and Keck Medicine ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialist Dr Janet Choi.

“These results are exciting because they suggest that hearing aids may play a protective role in people’s health and prevent early death.”

To reach these conclusions, the scientists analysed data compiled by the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 1999 and 2012.

The aim was to identify 10,000 adults aged 20 and over who had undergone hearing tests and provided information on the use of any hearing aids.

The scientists determined that 1,863 adults suffered from hearing loss, of whom 237 regularly used a hearing aid and over 1,480 never did.

Participant deaths were tracked for an average of 10 years after the tests.

The researchers observed an almost 25% reduction in the risk of death among adults with hearing loss who regularly wore their hearing aids, irrespective of numerous variables such as degree of hearing loss, age, ethnic origin, or income and education levels.

However, it is important to note that no difference was observed between non-regular users of hearing aids and participants who have never worn one.

As such, the occasional use of this type of hearing aid does not appear to provide any life- extending benefit.

“While the study did not examine why hearing aids may help those who need them live longer, Dr Choi points to recent research linking hearing aid use with lowered levels of depression and dementia.

“She speculates that the improvements in mental health and cognition that come with improved hearing can promote better overall health, which may improve life span,” reads a news release accompanying the research.

The link between wearing hearing aids and death has not been clearly established by the scientists, who now plan to carry out more in-depth research.

They do, however, hope that these initial findings will encourage the use of hearing aids of any kind by those who need them.

According to the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) estimates, one in four people could be affected by hearing loss by 2050, amounting to no less than 2.5 billion people worldwide. – AFP Relaxnews