Scientists have studied the clinical consequences and burden of hearing loss, one of the leading causes of disability worldwide, for people with this disorder.
- Hearing loss is accompanied by many other disorders according to a study.
- The risk of death is also higher in those affected.
- In France, more than 10% of the population suffers from hearing loss.
“Significant comorbidity and a significantly increased risk of a wide range of adverse clinical effects, some of which are potentially preventable” : this is the conclusion of scientists who have studied the effects of hearing loss on health.
Hearing loss: a study carried out on more than 4 million people
Hearing loss, called deafness or hypoacusis, is the decrease in the ability to perceive sounds (decreased hearing). We also talk about hearing loss, says theHealth Insurance.
In their study published in The Lancetscientists explain that this disorder, still too partially studied, is often accompanied by death, myocardial infarction, stroke/transient ischemic attack, depression, falls, heart failure, dementia, pressure sores and placement in a long-term care facility.
They conducted their study on a population of more than four million adults residing in Alberta, Canada, between April 1, 2004 and March 31, 2019, 3.2% of whom had hearing loss. They followed them for more than 14 years.
Hearing loss comes with many risk factors
The researchers explain this excess risk in particular by the communication barriers between health professionals and patients. In addition, the excessive risk of falls experienced by these patients may be due to increased cognitive load, reduced awareness of the environment, or perhaps dysfunction in posture (proprioception) and vestibular nerve, the branch of the 8th cranial nerve controlling balance.
For other outcomes such as stroke, the apparently increased risk may be related to comorbidity such as hypertension or vascular disease.
Based on these findings, the scientists suggest that increased and coordinated investment is needed to improve the care provided to people with hearing loss, who represent in France more than 10% of the population.
