Results from AD-HEARING (ADherence to and adjustment of HEARING aids in clinical routine care as preventive dementia strategy): a prospective 6-month follow-up study on cognition and psychological well-being

Abstract

Background: Age-related hearing loss (ARHL) is a modifiable dementia risk factor and often associated with psychological symptoms. Hearing aid use might reduce this risk by preserving cognitive and psychological functions. Objective: This study aims to investigate the influence of ARHL and hearing aid use on cognition and different aspects of psychological well-being. Methods: During 05/2021 and 05/2023, 31 subjects with audiometrically confirmed ARHL were included and 28 underwent follow-up 6 months later (final analysis sample). Successful hearing aid adjustment was controlled by fitting protocols, and hearing aid use was self-reported (IOI-SH). The following primary outcomes were analyzed by general linear models (GLM) for repeated measures and compared between hearing aid users (>8 h of daily use) vs. non-users (≤8 h of daily use) at baseline and follow-up: (1) cognition: Consortium To Establish a Registry for Alzheimer’s Disease (CERAD-plus, Chandler score), (2) depression: Geriatric Depression Scale, 15-item short form (GDS-SF), (3) social isolation: Lubben Social Network Scale-6-item form (LSNS-6), (4) psychological burden: Symptom Checklist-90®-Standard General Symptom Index (SCL-90®-S GSI), and (5) health-related quality of life: visual analogue scale of the EQ-5D. Results: Mild cognitive impairment was diagnosed in 11 participants with ARHL at baseline (39.3%). Only a minority exhibited psychological symptoms (n = 1–2, 3.6%–10.7% with pathological values in psychological outcomes). All primary outcomes failed to differentiate between hearing aid users vs. non-users over time (all interaction effects ns). At follow-up, between-group differences in psychological burden and quality of life were more pronounced in favor of hearing aid users vs. non-users. Conclusion: ARHL has a considerable impact on cognition. Whether hearing aid use is able to substantially attenuate cognitive impairment in a short term remains unclear. Further large-scale and long-term follow-up studies are needed to additionally address specific subgroups who might have more benefit from hearing aid use. Clinical Trial Registration: https://drks.de/search/de/trial/DRKS00025111, identifier DRKS00025111.