Study Links Hearing Aids to Lower Dementia Risk

People living with both epilepsy and hearing loss who use hearing aids may face a significantly reduced likelihood of developing dementia, according to new research presented at the European Academy of Neurology Congress 2026. The study suggests a 23 per cent lower risk among this group compared with those who do not use hearing devices.

Hearing loss has long been identified as the largest modifiable risk factor for dementia, although the protective role of hearing aids has remained uncertain. To investigate further, scientists from University Hospital Zurich and the University of Liverpool examined electronic health records drawn from more than 250 million patients in the TriNetX database.

Researchers compared adults with hearing loss who used hearing aids against closely matched individuals who did not. The analysis covered the general hearing impaired population as well as patients with epilepsy, stroke, type 2 diabetes, chronic kidney disease, heart failure, migraine, and osteoarthritis.

No meaningful reduction in dementia risk was observed in the overall group with hearing loss or among patients with most of the studied conditions, including stroke and diabetes. However, a distinct pattern emerged in those with both epilepsy and hearing loss, where hearing aid use corresponded to a 23 per cent lower risk of dementia. This translated into an absolute risk reduction of 2.7 percentage points over five years, or one fewer dementia case for every 37 users.

Researchers suggest the difference may relate to cognitive reserve, the brain’s capacity to maintain function despite ageing or disease related changes.

Lead author Dr Carolina Ferreira Atuesta said, “Most people with hearing loss have enough cognitive reserve to absorb the extra effort caused by hearing impairment, so correcting it may not have a large effect on dementia risk.”

She added that epilepsy may alter this balance. “Epilepsy is different because cognitive reserve is often already reduced, meaning that removing one additional source of strain may have a greater impact,” she said. She also noted that temporal lobe epilepsy and some anti seizure medications could contribute to hearing related complications.

The study authors say the findings could have practical implications for clinical care. Because patients with epilepsy frequently interact with healthcare services, routine hearing checks and earlier access to hearing aids could be integrated into standard treatment pathways.

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