Published September 12, 2025
Hearing Aids Might Curb Dementia Risk Associated With Hearing Loss
Addressing hearing loss early on with hearing aids might lessen the condition’s association with dementia risk, according to a new analysis published in JAMA Neurology. Starting with a subset of almost 3000 participants tested for hearing loss at age 60 years or older, the researchers tracked how hearing aid use might have shaped all-cause incident dementia rates for up to 20 years.
Among those with hearing loss who were younger than 70 years at the initial test, hearing aid use was associated with a lower risk of incident dementia compared with people with hearing loss who did not use hearing aids. A significant association was not observed in participants aged 70 years or older at their hearing test, suggesting that early intervention may be more protective against dementia. The researchers noted that socioeconomic factors might help explain these results because people who use hearing aids could have better health care access overall. Still, they concluded that their findings support a proactive approach to hearing loss management.
Previous studies demonstrated that treating hearing loss has the potential to delay dementia for a large number of older adults.