People with hearing loss overwhelmingly opt not to wear hearing aids, but a new study makes a strong case for scheduling a trip to the ENT. While the benefits hearing aids can contribute to long-term health have long been established, research now suggests that people who wear them are more likely to live longer. The Washington Post breaks down the findings recently published in Lancet Healthy Longevity, which looked at data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey alongside records in the National Death Index. Of the nearly 1,900 people in the survey who had hearing loss, those who regularly wore hearing aids were less likely to die early by 24%.
The how and why still need further research. Hearing aids generally promote health by making people with hearing loss less socially isolated and by stimulating brain activity. Although lead author Dr. Janet Choi hypothesized there would be health benefits to wearing them, she told NPR that the significant percentage of reduced mortality risk was surprising. People don't wear hearing aids for a variety of reasons, including the cost, lack of insurance coverage, discomfort, and stigmas. Nearly 40 million people in the US have hearing loss, but only 12% use hearing aids. "Hearing loss is an invisible problem, and it happens gradually, so it takes time for you to get used to hearing aids and then get the benefit," Choi said. She suggested wearing them daily for a month to become more comfortable.
Choi's interest in the issue comes from a personal place. The surgeon was born with hearing loss in one ear. Because she could hear well out of her other ear, she resisted using a hearing aid. When she finally tried using one, she couldn't believe the difference. "In the operating room during surgery, sometimes if someone talked to me on the left side when there was a lot of background noise, I usually wouldn't respond," she told NPR. "People thought that I was just ignoring them, which was actually not true. I just didn't hear them." (More hearing loss stories).