JAMA Neurol

Does hearing loss increase the risk of Parkinson's disease?

October 23, 2024

Hearing loss independently increases the risk of developing Parkinson's disease (PD). Using hearing aids can mitigate this risk, suggesting that routine hearing loss screening and hearing aid use may lower PD incidence. Further research is needed to understand the mechanisms underlying the association.

This cohort study examined electronic health records from U.S. veterans who had an audiogram between 1999 and 2022 and focused on audiogram-confirmed hearing loss and calculated the cumulative incidence of PD, adjusting for the competing risk of death. Out of 7,296,051 veterans with an audiogram, 3,596,365 were included in the analysis. The cohort was predominantly male (96%) with an average age of 67 years.

Out of 3,596,365 veterans, 750,010 (20.8%) had normal hearing. Among those with hearing loss, 30.0% had mild, 28.9% had moderate, 15.8% had moderate to severe, and 4.3% had severe to profound hearing loss. Age, gender, and smoking history were similar across groups, with adjustments for race, ethnicity, and frailty. At 10 years post audiogram, additional PD cases per 1,000 individuals were 6.1 for mild, 15.8 for moderate, 16.2 for moderate to severe, and 12.1 for severe hearing loss, compared with those with normal hearing. Combining hearing loss with prodromal conditions resulted in 5.7 extra PD cases per 1,000 at 10 years. Prompt hearing aid use reduced PD incidence by 21.6 cases per 1,000 at 10 years.

Source:

Neilson LE, et al. (2024, October 21). JAMA Neurol. Hearing Loss, Incident Parkinson Disease, and Treatment With Hearing Aids. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39432289/