HEARING AIDS: LIFESAVING TOOLS FOR HEALTH AND LONGEVITY
Hearing loss, affecting 1.6 billion people globally, is projected to impact 2.5 billion by 2050. While often considered a minor issue, hearing loss significantly affects health and longevity. A study published in The Lancet Healthy Longevity reveals that regular hearing aid use not only improves hearing but reduces mortality risk.
The study showed hearing loss independently raises mortality risk, with moderate to severe cases linked to a 66% higher risk. Mortality risk increases with hearing impairment severity, underscoring a dose-response relationship. Importantly, regular hearing aid users with hearing loss experienced a 24% lower mortality risk compared to non-users, even after adjusting for age, health, and socioeconomic status. In contrast, irregular hearing aid use did not significantly reduce mortality.
Hearing aids may also alleviate loneliness and depression, both linked to reduced mortality. These findings emphasize hearing aids importance in enhancing social interaction and mitigating hearing loss’s psychological toll. Hearing aids could soon be recognized as vital health interventions, offering a path to longer, healthier lives for millions.
