A study published by the VA Portland Health Care System and Oregon Health & Science University revealed a possible connection between hearing loss and Parkinson's disease.
Published in the JAMA Neurology journal on Monday, Oct. 21, the study examined 7,296,051 US veterans with an audiogram between Jan. 1, 1999 and Dec. 30, 2022.
Researchers sought to find whether hearing loss could be a potential risk factor for Parkinson's disease. Results show that those with hearing loss have a higher risk of developing Parkinson's disease later in life.
It also showed that those with the worst hearing loss seem to have the highest risk of developing Parkinson's disease.
“We still have much to learn about how hearing loss contributes to the disease and how hearing aids might work to lower one's risk for getting (Parkinson's disease),” said lead author Lee Neilson, M.D. a staff neurologist for the Portland VA and assistant professor of neurology in the OHSU School of Medicine in a press release. “Considering there are few downsides to getting screened and fitted for a hearing aid, we would encourage everyone to do it.”
An additional look at the link between hearing aid use and lowered risk of developing Parkinson's disease showed that those who got a hearing aid within two years of having an abnormal hearing test had a lowered risk of developing the disease later in life.
According to the study, widespread screening for hearing loss and the appropriate use of hearing aids, may reduce the incidence of Parkinson's disease. More studies are needed to examine underlying mechanisms for the association between hearing loss and Parkinson's disease.
Details of the study and its findings can be accessed by visiting: jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaneurology/currentissue.
