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Hearing Aid Use May Reduce Hazards of Long-term Cognitive Decline
The use of hearing restorative devices was associated with a 19% decrease in the hazards of long-term cognitive decline and significantly correlated with a 3% improvement in short-term cognitive test scores, according to a study published in JAMA Neurology.
The findings, “[add] to the growing evidence base and serves as an impetus for clinicians treating patients with hearing loss to persuade them to adopt hearing restorative devices, to mitigate their risk of cognitive decline such as dementia,” wrote study lead author Brian Sheng Yep Yeo, MBBS, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, and co-authors.
Hearing restorative devices were defined as electronic devices intended to correct hearing loss such as cochlear implants and behind-the-ear or in-the-ear hearing aids.
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Researchers analyzed 31 studies (25 observational studies, 6 trials), 19 of which (15 observational studies, 4 trials) were included in quantitative analysis, collectively comprising 137,384 participants. Participants were at least 18 years old with confirmed hearing loss via pure-tone audiometry.
The included studies had the following main outcomes:
- Dementia diagnosed based on accepted clinical diagnostic criteria; or
- Measurement of general cognitive function via a commonly used cognitive test such as the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and/or Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA); or
- Cognitive impairment with a diagnosis based on accepted clinical criteria or through standardized screening questionnaires such as MMSE and MoCA.
In 8 of the studies, comprising 126,903 participants, that investigated long-term associations between hearing aid use and cognitive decline through meta-analysis, the researchers found significantly lower hazards of any cognitive decline among hearing aid users compared with participants with uncorrected hearing loss [HR, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.76-0.87; I2 = 0%].
Furthermore, in the meta-analysis of 11 studies (n=568) that reviewed the association between hearing restoration and short-term cognitive test score changes, researchers unveiled a 3% improvement in short-term cognitive test scores after the use of hearing aids [ratio of means, 1.03; 95% CI, 1.02-1.04, I2 = 0%].
Overall, the study did not compare the severity of hearing loss among participants and thus could not determine if the benefit of hearing restorative devices is consistent across the spectrum of hearing loss or to different degrees of deafness, researchers noted. “Studies that present longer follow-up times may also be more useful in evaluating the association of hearing intervention on dementia.”
“To the best of our knowledge, this is the first comprehensive quantitative synthesis looking at associations between hearing restoration and cognitive decline,” researchers wrote. “While previous meta-analyses have established significantly increased odds of dementia and cognitive impairment among participants with hearing loss, this study further adds value by suggesting that correcting for this sensory deficit is associated with a slower decline in cognition.”
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