Hearing loss is linked to a higher risk of Parkinson’s disease (PD), a new study of US veterans suggests.
The research examined 7,296,051 US veterans who had an audiogram, a hearing test that measures hearing thresholds, between 1 January 1999 and 30 December 2022.
People with hearing loss had a higher risk of later developing Parkinson’s.
Those with the most severe loss appeared to face the greatest risk.
The study also assessed hearing aid use. Getting a hearing aid within two years of an abnormal hearing test was linked with a substantially lower later risk.
The work was conducted by the VA Portland Health Care System with Oregon Health & Science University.
Parkinson’s disease affects more than one million Americans and disproportionately impacts veterans.
Lead author Dr Lee Neilson is a staff neurologist at Portland VA and assistant professor of neurology at OHSU School of Medicine.
He said: “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 PD.
“Considering there are few downsides to getting screened and fitted for a hearing aid, we would encourage everyone to do it.”
