The Connection Between Hearing and Whole Person Health

Social isolation and loneliness are rapidly gaining attention as critically important social determinants of health (SDOH), which are the social and economic conditions that influence health risks and outcomes. A recent study of 20,000 people by health insurer Cigna concluded that loneliness was associated with a reduction in lifespan similar to that caused by smoking 15 cigarettes daily, and it posed a greater health risk than obesity.   

Specifically, social isolation and loneliness have been identified as risk factors for a number of significant health conditions, including dementia, depression, heart attack and stroke. Many cases of social isolation and loneliness are rooted in hearing loss, which leads to communication difficulties and, ultimately avoidance of social situations, according to a National Council on Aging (NCOA) study.

Depression costs health insurers, employers and U.S. society as a whole approximately $210 billion annually. Based on a review of 35 studies involving 147,148 individuals 60 years or older, researchers determined that hearing loss increases the likelihood of experiencing depression symptoms by 47%, compared to people with normal hearing.

One explanation for this link may be that people with hearing loss tend to be more socially isolated, which in turn is a risk factor for depression. In addition, hearing-impaired people often experience balance issues, which can lead to decreased physical activity, making them more vulnerable to depression. Another side effect of hearing loss is tinnitus (commonly known as “ringing in the ears”). Severe cases of tinnitus can disrupt a person’s life, causing or contributing to depression.

The direct cost of caring for individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia totaled an estimated $277 billion in 2018, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. Hearing loss is one risk factor for dementia that has received a lot of attention in recent years. A Johns Hopkins study found that mild hearing loss doubled a person’s dementia risk, moderate hearing loss tripled the risk, and a severe hearing impairment increased the risk five-fold.

Another study concluded that older adults with severe hearing loss were 24% more likely than their normal-hearing peers to experience diminished cognitive abilities (encompassing concentration, memory and planning skills). The Alzheimer’s Association points to cognitive impairment, even in its mild form, as a risk factor for dementia.

Injury-causing falls cost the U.S. health care system an estimated $50 billion in 2015, says a CDC fact sheet. In 2020 the financial toll for older adult falls may reach $67.7 billion, according to the NCOA. These staggering costs become plausible when you consider that one out of four Americans age 65-plus experiences a fatal or non-fatal fall each year. In fact, the NCOA reports that an older adult receives emergency room treatment for a fall every 11 seconds.

Research links hearing loss with an elevated risk of injury-causing falls. In their study of 2,017 individuals ages 40 to 69, Johns Hopkins researchers found that a 25-decibel hearing loss (classified as mild) was associated with a three-fold higher risk of falling, compared to someone with normal hearing. The chance of falling increases by 1.4 for every additional 10 decibels of hearing loss.