Hearing loss is linked to a higher Parkinson's risk, especially when not managed well

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2024-10-22 02:00

International

Photo by Mark Paton on Unsplash

People who sustain hearing loss in older age are more likely to go on to develop Parkinson's disease, according to international researchers who say this risk can be mitigated by tackling the hearing loss itself. The team used data from a US veteran health study to compare hearing loss measured by audiograms with later diagnosis of Parkinson's disease. The researchers say the more severe hearing loss a person had in the study, the more likely they were to develop Parkinson's. However, they say if a person with hearing loss received a hearing aid within two years of their audiogram, the risk was reduced, suggesting effective management of hearing loss could mitigate the Parkinson's risk.

Attachments

Note: Not all attachments are visible to the general public. Research URLs will go live after the embargo ends.

Research JAMA, Web page The URL will go live after the embargo ends

Journal/
conference: JAMA Neurology

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: Oregon Health & Science University, USA

Funder: This work was supported by the Veterans Affairs (VA) Biomedical Laboratory Research and Development (CDA2 IK2 BX005760-01A1), John and Tami Marick Family Foundation, Collins Medical Trust Award, Oregon Health & Science University Medical Research Foundation New Investigator Award and PCO Pilot Award (Dr Scott), and VA Clinical Science Research and Development (CDA2 IK2 CX00253-01A1; Dr Neilson).This work was also supported by the National Center for Rehabilitative Auditory Research (C2361C/I50 RX002361) and the Parkinson’s Disease Research, Education, Clinical Center at the VA Portland Health Care System. The Oregon Clinical and Translational Research Institute is supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Health (UL1TR002369).

Media Contact/s

Contact details are only visible to registered journalists.