HEARING LOSS
is connected to other
health conditions
COGNITIVE DECLINE
A National Institute on Aging study showed that patients 60 and older with hearing loss have a 35% higher risk of developing cognitive decline than those with normal hearing. 1
CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE (CVD)
There is a strong correlation between hearing and heart health with hearing loss increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease. 2
DIABETES
Hearing loss is twice as common in patients with diabetes, possibly due to inner ear blood vessel damage.3
FALLS
Patients with mild hearing loss (25 dB) are 3x as likely to experience falls. For every 10 dB increase in hearing loss, the odds increase 1.4 times. 4
CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE (CKD)
54% of patients with moderate chronic kidney disease report hearing loss compared to 28% with no kidney problems. 5
TINNITUS
90% of people with tinnitus also have hearing loss. Tinnitus affects one in five people. 6
DEPRESSION
The well-established link between hearing loss and depression was found in a study by the National Council on the Aging of 2,300 adults 50 and older: those with untreated hearing loss had higher rates of depression. 7
1 Self-Reported Hearing Loss, Hearing Aids, and Cognitive Decline in Elderly Adults: A 25-Year Study. 2015. The American Geriatrics Society.
2 Does cardiovascular health mediate hearing ability? 1994. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.
3 Diabetes and Hearing Loss. 2013. AmericanDiabetesAssociation.com.
4 Hearing loss and falls among older adults in the United States. 2012. Archives of Internal Medicine.
5 The Association Between Reduced GFR and Hearing Loss: A Cross-sectional Population-Based Study. 2010. American Journal of Kidney Disease.
6 The Hearing Review. 2008, December. Tinnitus Treatment and the Effectiveness of Hearing Aids: Hearing Care Professional Perceptions. Retrieved from https://www.hearingreview.com/practice-building/practice-management/tinnitus-treatment-and-the-effectiveness-of-hearing-aids-hearing-care-professional-perceptionsDepression
7 The Consequences of Untreated Hearing Loss in Older Persons. 1999. The National Council on the Aging.