Untreated Hearing Loss

5 mins

Published 18 July 2024

Untreated hearing loss can invite all sorts of health-related issues into your life. We have included some articles below that provide an introduction to the research and findings for some of these.

Twice as Likely to Develop Dementia with Hearing Loss

Age-related hearing loss can increase the risk of dementia. Research suggests that people with mild symptoms of hearing loss may be twice as likely to develop dementia as those without any hearing loss.

Increased Likelihood of Falling with Hearing Loss

Increased falls can be a devastating condition in older individuals. Identifying potentially modifiable risk factors such as hearing loss could provide a substantial benefit to overall health. The odds of falling were 2.39 times greater among older adults with hearing loss than those with any hearing loss.

Additional Listening Effort Increases Severity and Frequency of Exhaustion

A study into the association between hearing loss and fatigue aimed to provide valuable insights into managing daily functioning and understanding the potential downstream health outcomes for individuals experiencing hearing loss. The findings revealed that individuals with hearing loss were more likely to experience fatigue on most days or nearly every day. As the severity of hearing loss increased, so did the likelihood of feeling fatigued.

Hearing Loss Creates a Higher Risk of Social Isolation, loneliness and Withdrawal from Social Life

A large number of high-quality studies have examined hearing loss and its connection to social isolation and/or loneliness. They found that older adults with hearing loss were more likely to be socially isolated and to report loneliness compared to those without hearing loss. One study found that those with a high level of self-perceived hearing difficulty had over twice the odds of loneliness compared to others.

Increased Rates of Anxiety in Those with Hearing Loss

Compared to individuals without hearing loss, those with mild hearing loss have a 32% greater chance of having anxiety, while those with moderate or greater hearing loss have a 59% chance of having anxiety.