Hearing Aids May Lower Parkinson’s Disease Risk

A new study from a database of millions of veterans nationwide reveals a possible connection between hearing loss and Parkinson’s disease.

The study, published in the journal JAMA Neurology, further suggests that veterans who are fitted with a hearing aid within two years of hearing loss appear to lower the risk of developing Parkinson’s. The study was a collaboration between researchers at Oregon Health & Science University and the VA Portland Health Care System.

“We still have much to learn about how hearing loss contributes to Parkinson’s and how hearing aids might work to lower one’s risk,” said lead author Lee Neilson, M.D., assistant professor of neurology in the OHSU School of Medicine and a staff neurologist for the VA Portland. “Considering there are few downsides to getting screened and fitted for a hearing aid, we would encourage everyone to do it.”

The study examined 23 years’ worth of records from nearly 7.3 million United States military veterans who had an audiogram between Jan. 1, 1999, and Dec. 30, 2022.

Results showed that those with hearing loss have a much higher risk of developing Parkinson’s later in life. Additionally, the study found that those who have the most significant hearing loss seemed to have the highest risk of developing Parkinson’s.

Reference: Neilson LE, Reavis KM, Wiedrick J, Scott GD. Hearing loss, incident Parkinson disease, and treatment with hearing aids. JAMA Neurol. 2024. doi: 10.1001/jamaneurol.2024.3568

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