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Treating Hearing Loss With Hearing Aids for the Prevention of Cognitive Decline and Dementia
Lachlan Cribb, Margarita Moreno‐Betancur, Matthew Paul Pase, Rory Wolfe, Carlene J. Britt, Zhen Hua Zhou, Raj C. Shah, Gary Rance et al.. Neurology, 2026-01-14
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Across imputed data sets, a median of 2,777 eligible individuals were included, with a median of 664 receiving a new HA prescription. The mean age was 75 years, and 48% were female. The estimated 7-year mean overall cognition scores among survivors were similar under HA prescription and no HA prescription (mean difference 0.03 SDs; 95% CI -0.14 to 0.21). The estimated 7-year risk of dementia was 5.0% under HA prescription and 7.5% under no HA prescription (risk ratio [RR] 0.67; 95% CI 0.37-0.97), and that of cognitive impairment was 36.1% under HA prescription and 42.4% under no HA prescription (RR 0.85; 95% CI 0.70-1.00). The risks of dementia and cognitive impairment were inversely associated with the frequency of HA use. We found that HA use in older people with hearing impairment may reduce dementia risk, although differences in age-related cognitive change were insubstantial. We cannot rule out residual confounding as an explanation for our findings. Long-term randomized trials of HAs for dementia risk are justified. CLASSIFICATION OF EVIDENCE: This study provides Class III evidence that the use of hearing aids did not change overall cognitive scores in people 70 years and older with moderate hearing impairment as compared to those who used hearing aids.
Key findings
- Across imputed data sets, a median of 2,777 eligible individuals were included, with a median of 664 receiving a new HA prescription.
- The mean age was 75 years, and 48% were female.
- The estimated 7-year mean overall cognition scores among survivors were similar under HA prescription and no HA prescription (mean difference 0.03 SDs; 95% CI -0.14 to 0.21).
- The estimated 7-year risk of dementia was 5.0% under HA prescription and 7.5% under no HA prescription (risk ratio [RR] 0.67; 95% CI 0.37-0.97), and that of cognitive impairment was 36.1% under HA prescription and 42.4% under no HA prescription (RR 0.85; 95% CI 0.70-1.00).
- The risks of dementia and cognitive impairment were inversely associated with the frequency of HA use.
Why it matters
In this observational study, hearing aid use in older people with hearing impairment was associated with a lower estimated 7-year risk of dementia, but overall cognition scores were similar with and without hearing aids. The authors say residual confounding cannot be ruled out and that long-term randomized trials are needed.
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Study details
- Effect size5.0%; 7.5%; 36.1%
- Evidence strengthHigh
How this study scored 53/100
Published in a leading specialty journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on senior author's track record, so that was left out: it earned 51 of the 96 points we could judge it on, which is 53 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 9 / 10 | Tier 2 — leading specialty journal (Neurology) |
| Journal's citation record | 4 / 4 | Neurology: journal h-index 525 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 5 / 5 | Rated “high” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 5 / 5 | 2026 — within 1 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 2 / 3 | Effect reported as a number, without an interval or test |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 1 / 7 | Cited 4 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 1 / 5 | 2.0 citations a year over 2 year(s) since 2026 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 17.8× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 0 / 6 | No other study in this library cites it |
| Still being cited | 1 / 4 | Cited 4 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | — / 4 | OpenAlex's profile for last-listed author Joanne Ryan holds only 2 work(s), too few to judge a track record — left out of this score |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | University of Minnesota: institution h-index 1,568 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 3 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 10 institution(s) in 2 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 41534012) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Points | 51 / 96 | Scored on 19 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 51 of the 96 points we could judge it on is 53 out of 100. |
| Total | 53 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.1212/wnl.0000000000214572
- PubMed: 41534012
- Original source →
- Free full text: PubMed Central →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record's author list ends in “et al.”, so not every author is named. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Cribb, L., Moreno‐Betancur, M., Pase, M. P., Wolfe, R., Britt, C. J., Zhou, Z. H., et al. (2026). Treating Hearing Loss With Hearing Aids for the Prevention of Cognitive Decline and Dementia. Neurology. https://doi.org/10.1212/wnl.0000000000214572
Vancouver
Cribb L, Moreno‐Betancur M, Pase MP, Wolfe R, Britt CJ, Zhou ZH, et al. Treating Hearing Loss With Hearing Aids for the Prevention of Cognitive Decline and Dementia. Neurology. 2026. doi:10.1212/wnl.0000000000214572. PMID: 41534012.
BibTeX
@article{cribb2026-41534012,
author = {Cribb, Lachlan and Moreno‐Betancur, Margarita and Pase, Matthew Paul and Wolfe, Rory and Britt, Carlene J. and Zhou, Zhen Hua and Shah, Raj C. and Rance, Gary and others},
title = {{Treating Hearing Loss With Hearing Aids for the Prevention of Cognitive Decline and Dementia}},
journal = {Neurology},
year = {2026},
doi = {10.1212/wnl.0000000000214572},
pmid = {41534012},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1212/wnl.0000000000214572}
}
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