Hearing loss may increase risk of Parkinson's disease in veterans: JAMA

A new study published in the Journal of American Medical Association showed that hearing loss may indicate early extrastriatal pathology and increase the likelihood of Parkinson's disease. It is uncertain if objective hearing loss increases the incidence of Parkinson disease (PD). Self-reported hearing loss is used insensitively in PD investigations, and there is a dearth of objective data. Thus, Lee Neilson and colleagues carried out this study to investigate the relationship between incident PD and hearing loss in US veterans, as well as how well-known prodromal disorders and hearing aids may alter this relationship.

The US Department of Veterans Affairs' electronic health record data for veterans who had an audiogram between January 1, 1999 and December 30, 2022, was examined in this cohort research. The individuals with incomplete data or a history of Parkinson's disease were not included. The primary exposure of this study was hearing loss verified by audiogram. The main goal was to assess the cumulative incidence of Parkinson's disease while controlling for competing risk of mortality.

A total of 3,596,365 veterans were among the 7,296,051 who had an audiogram. Their mean (SD) age was 67 (10.3) years, and they were primarily male. Of the ones with hearing loss, 1,080,651 (30.0%), 1,039,785 (28.9%), 568,296 (15.8%), and 157,623 (4.3%) had mild (20-<35 dB), moderate, moderate to serious (50-<65 dB), and serious to significant (65-120 dB) hearing loss, respectively.

• A total of 750,010 people (20.8%) had normal hearing at the time of the audiometry examination. All exposed and unexposed groups were matched for age, gender, and smoking history, and race, ethnicity, and frailty were further adjusted.
• Veterans with light, moderate, moderate to severe, and severe to profound hearing loss had 6.1, 16.2, and 12.1 more occurrences of PD at 10 years following the baseline audiogram, respectively, in comparison to those with normal hearing.
• At ten years, hearing loss was linked to 5.7 more incidences of Parkinson's disease than each condition alone when paired with known prodromal symptoms. At 10 years, incident instances of PD dropped by 21.6 cases when hearing aids were promptly dispensed.

Overall, this study suggested that hearing loss is a separate risk factor for Parkinson's disease progression. Widespread screening for hearing loss and proper use of hearing aids may lower the incidence of Parkinson's disease because this could reduce this risk.

Source:

Neilson, L. E., Reavis, K. M., Wiedrick, J., & Scott, G. D. (2024). Hearing Loss, Incident Parkinson Disease, and Treatment With Hearing Aids. In JAMA Neurology. American Medical Association (AMA). https://doi.org/10.1001/jamaneurol.2024.3568