Fifty million American adults (15 percent) report some trouble hearing, with 30 million (13 percent) Americans over age 12 having hearing loss in both ears, according to the National Institute of Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD). Globally, 1.6 billion are affected by hearing loss.
As age increases, so does the prevalence of disabling hearing loss (when one cannot hear sounds below 35 decibels, roughly the sound level of a refrigerator hum), with the NIDCD finding that five percent of U.S. adults ages 45-54 years old (2 million) have disabling hearing loss, compared to 10 percent of those ages 55-64 (4.2 million), 22 percent of those ages 65-74 (7.5 million), and 55 percent of those ages 75 and older (13.2 million).
Though the NIDCD calculates that 28.8 million Americans could benefit from hearing aids, it also finds that, of those, only 30 percent of those 70 and older, and only 16 percent of those ages 20-69, have ever used them. This suggests that over 20 million Americans are missing out on the benefits of hearing aids — about six percent of the population.
But what are the benefits of hearing aids — and what are the consequences of passing on using them? Previous studies have identified hearing loss as an independent factor that contributes to mortality, as well as multiple other negative health outcomes such as depression and dementia, however the benefits of hearing aids — and whether they can reduce the increased mortality and ailments associated with hearing loss — have remained largely unknown.
A new study from Keck Medicine of USC (Caruso Department of Otolaryngology) published this year in The Lancet Healthy Longevity journal, finally analyzes the benefits of hearing aid use. Their data shows that not using hearing aids, for those who would benefit from using them, increased mortality risk by a whopping 24 percent, consistent even after adjusting for age, severity of hearing loss, and other demographics (sex, race, ethnicity, education, poverty-to-income ratio, marital status, health insurance, smoking, BMI, diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and stroke).
At Hearing Doctors, Principal and Founder Dr. Ana Anzola and her team of audiologists have provided the DMV with hearing health care for over 25 years. Speaking to us about the study, she says the effects of hearing loss (and the benefits of hearing aids) are deeper than meets the eye (ear, perhaps, in this case).
“After [struggling to hear] a while, the brain doesn’t have the capacity to decode and decipher anymore,” Anzola said, explaining that the burden of “extracting additional resources from the brain diminishes executive functioning, and makes you tired from the cognitive overload and background noise,” which she says can ultimately lead to depression, anxiety, and social isolation — all risk factors for early cognitive decline. She recommends that those with hearing loss wear hearing aids for at least eight to ten hours per day.
Anzola, who has lived in McLean for the last 25 years along with her husband Sean, two daughters and a wonderful English goldendoodle named Prada, emphasized how far hearing aid technology has come, with improvements she says many are unaware of. “Today’s [hearing aid] technology is efficient, lightweight, and almost invisible,” she said, adding that today’s hearing aids often utilize artificial intelligence (A.I.) and directional mics to increase speech while decreasing background noise, which “takes a load off your brain,” improving cognitive function, and general quality of life.
In addition to hearing aids, good ear hygiene can improve hearing. Anzola recommends an ear cleaning with your doctor every six months to clear excess wax — a service one may request from their general practitioner, typically without charge. In between cleanings, she says, those wishing to clear wax buildup may add a few drops of 50 percent hydrogen peroxide, 50 percent water into the affected ear and allow it to bubble for a few minutes before draining. Because excessive hydrogen peroxide use can cause irritation and dryness, she recommends doing so every-other month.
The most significant barrier to hearing aid use is cost — hearing aids are expensive, averaging over $4,000 a pair, and not usually covered by health insurance plans. Basic Medicare won’t pay for them either, and only roughly half of state Medicare programs will. Additionally, up until recently, a prescription was required to purchase a hearing aid, adding significantly to the cost. In July 2021, President Biden issued the “Executive Order on Promoting Competition in the American Economy,” which required the Secretary of Health and Human Services to “promote the wide availability of low-cost hearing aids” to Americans, and prompted the FDA to make hearing aids available over the counter, without a prescription — which, as of August 2022, is now a reality.
Hearing Doctors has one location in Maryland and four in Northern Virginia, including the City of Falls Church (300 N. Washington St., Falls Church) with The Little City’s own audiologist Dr. Travis Stehouwer.