Hearing aid use associated with improved cognition and reduced cognitive impairment risk in older adults.

This systematic review and meta-analysis pooled data from a large cohort of 231,565 older adults with hearing loss to assess the relationship between hearing aid use and cognitive function. The study examined outcomes including global cognition, memory, executive function/attention, and the incidence of cognitive impairment. No specific comparator group was reported in the input data, and the setting was not specified.

Analysis revealed positive associations for several cognitive domains. Global cognition showed an improvement with a standardized mean difference (SMD) of 0.27 (95% CI 0.08, 0.45). Memory scores improved with an SMD of 0.13 (95% CI: 0.09, 0.18). Executive function and attention also demonstrated improvement, with an SMD of -0.12 (95% CI: -0.20, -0.04). Furthermore, the incidence of cognitive impairment was associated with a reduced risk, yielding a relative risk (RR) of 0.84 (95% CI: 0.80, 0.88). No adverse events, serious adverse events, or discontinuations were reported in the safety data.

However, the evidence is characterized as mixed due to heterogeneity across different cognitive domains. Effects varied significantly across subgroups defined by age, sex, degree of hearing loss, years of education, and dementia status. These limitations suggest that the magnitude of benefit is not uniform across all patients. Additionally, causality was not reported, and certainty regarding the findings was not explicitly graded in the provided data.

In clinical practice, these results support the consideration of personalized interventions for individuals with varying characteristics. Clinicians should recommend hearing aid rehabilitation while acknowledging that benefits may differ based on specific patient demographics and disease severity.